


Puppy Love

by Liv_andletdie



Series: Puppy Love Complete works [1]
Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Genre: F/M, Fluff, I don't know what veterinarians do, Link has a crush, Modern AU, Mutual Pining, Zelda has a crush, Zelda has a cute dramatic husky which is adorable
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-19
Updated: 2018-07-02
Packaged: 2019-04-04 21:28:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 27,967
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14029125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Liv_andletdie/pseuds/Liv_andletdie
Summary: Link is a vet at Ordon Veterinary surgery. Zelda is an Aristocrat with a dog who is sick… surprisingly often. Though nothing seems to be wrong with the poor thing.Modern AU Twilight Princess, Complete. Part of a larger series





	1. The Chocolate Cake

Panic. 

That was the only word possible to describe how Zelda was feeling at that moment. She sat in the lounge of her country home, the rain pattering against the window caused a cloud of white noise to settle over the room. The light dribbling in through the window cast dancing shadows over the couch cushions, and the fire in the hearth had died down to glowing embers. In her lap, a large grey husky whimpered and whined. Zelda ran her hand over the dog’s snout, hushing and soothing in an attempt to calm her down. 

She’d turned her back for only a moment, a second or two to reply to a message from her friend, and when she’d turned back her dear husky had devoured her cake. 

Had the cake been vanilla flavoured Zelda wouldn’t have worried. Naru was known in the family for stealing licks and bites of food that wasn’t hers, normally receiving a tap on the snout and a stern look in response. However this cake was different. Crafted with ingredients from Termina and Holodrum, it was a masterpiece of confectionary; a veritable honour to be able to smell let alone savour. 

And it was chocolate. 

She’d found Naru on the floor under the table, the cake missing, her mouth lined with the dangerous treat, and a guilty look in her sky blue eyes. It hadn’t taken long to figure out what had happened and instantly Zelda was on the phone to the Veterinarian. She was practically demanding that someone come over to check on her four legged friend. 

And that’s when she hit her first hurdle. 

The regular vet, a long time family friend, was out of town visiting his daughter. Too far away from her and her Husky to be of any help. His assistant was ill with the flu, and their trainee was still far too underqualified to help with Zelda Harkinian’s dog. The only option would be to call a local vet, someone who had never met her or Naru, and pray that they knew what they were doing. She’d been given the number and with shaking fingers she had dialled the surgery. 

The man that answered had had a kind voice, a heavy Ordonian accent slowing down and softening his sentences. He seemed comfortable and at ease as he asked questions about what Naru had eaten and how long it had been, a stark contrast to Zelda who would not stop pacing back and forth across the room. The voice on the end of the phone had assured her that Naru would be fine but Zelda had demanded that someone was sent out to check anyway. 

He’d complied with her request and had promised to be there as fast as he could. 

Naru let out another whimper, sensing her owner’s discomfort, and nuzzled her knee with her snout. The leftover chocolate made a long streak of dark brown, staining the elegant cream of her skirt. Zelda didn’t seem to care as she shushed and cooed at the husky, fear replacing the initial panic. _Damn country doctors,_ she thought, checking her watch. It had been just under an hour since she had called, _Don’t they know an emergency when they hear one!_

A knock at the door caused her to jump, her knees jostling Naru’s head as she let out another whimper in response. Zelda shot her friend an apologetic look as she slid her legs out from under her. She practically ran to the door in her haste, heels clicking loudly against the hardwood floor, the echos in time with her racing heartbeat. She paused for a moment at the door, taking a deep breath to compose herself before she pushed down the handle.

The man on the other side of the doorway was kind. His blue eyes held a light that instantly put her at ease, His golden hair, wet from the rain outside, was plastered to his forehead. She watched as he ran his fingers through it, pushing his fringe back as a warm and welcoming smile found its way to his lips. 

“Hi” he panted, obviously out of breath, his nose and cheeks flushed an adorable pink from the chill “I’m sorry if I’m late, I came as fast as I could” 

Zelda felt all the air leave her lungs, her heart pounded in her ears, and she was suddenly very _very_ aware of how she looked. Her long brown hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail, frizzy and wavy from the rain outside, her purple cardigan was rumpled from Naru jumping on her, and her skirt was now stained with chocolate. 

She felt like a mess.

The man at the door noticed her silence, his dazzling smile falling from his lips. He stood up a little straighter, his hand moving to scratch the back of his neck. She could see his cheeks flush pink as he shuffled his feet on the spot. 

“I’m sorry” he cleared his throat “Have I got the right place? I’m looking for a Miss Harkinian. I’m from the Veterinary surgery” He searched her face for any sign of recognition, his bright blue eyes becoming cloudy with nerves. 

Zelda shook herself from her thoughts, feeling her own cheeks grow warm with a blush. 

“Yes, of course” she said, holding her hand out to shake “You’re here for Naru, yes? I’m Zelda” 

He took her hand in his, relief clear on his face. His smile was back in full force as he took a step closer to her; Zelda stepping out of the way to give him some space to enter the room. 

“I’m Link” he said dropping her hand from his and playing with the strap to his bag, “I’m from the surgery… but you know that already”. He seemed nervous, the blush on his cheeks growing brighter in embarrassment. Zelda let herself smile, a comfortable air settling over the room despite the near awkward conversation. 

_He’s sweet,_ She thought watching as the rainwater dripped down his neck, _and he’s got nice eyes_. Zelda felt her own blush rising at the thought, her hand coming up to play with her hair. She could see Link open his mouth to say something, his jaw hanging open as he tried to organise his words. Zelda found herself leaning in slightly, silently encouraging him to speak. He seemed to work out his sentence when a long, loud, howl echoed through the room. 

The two turned their attention to where Naru lay, sprawled out, on the sofa. She’d grown uncomfortable with the lack of attention, deciding to take matters into her own paws. Link hitched his bag up higher on his shoulder, walking towards the dramatic animal. Naru’s howling only increased as he approached, causing the vet to chuckle lowly. 

“Alright, Alright I hear you” he murmured, dropping to his knees on the floor beside her, “you got a lovely voice you know that?” Naru seemed to appreciate the compliment, bursting into another round of passionate howls. Link laughed again as he started opening his bag and rifling through the contents. 

“Do you do this often?” he asked, leveling a stare at the husky. Naru continued to sing, her tail creating a steady thump as she hit it against the cushions. Link sat back on his ankles, raising an eyebrow at her as she let out another howl. He remained silent, almost waiting for an answer. Zelda stood off to the side picking at her nail polish nervously. The manicure had cost an absurd amount of money, almost too much for what was essentially some nail polish and a buff. Still she couldn’t bring herself to care about the brightly coloured scraps falling to the floor when her dear friend was laid out on the couch howling. 

_Midna would be shocked with me_ , She thought as she picked at the shiny red paint. Midna would have had something to say about it no doubt, just like she would have had something to say about the _very attractive_ vet kneeling on the floor and looking at her...wait. 

He was staring at her, a hand rubbing Naru’s belly as she flopped over the cushions. One of his eyebrows was raised as he looked at her. Zelda felt her cheeks heat up in a blush, her entire face going red. He’d asked her something? Or he’d asked Naru something? Either way he’d asked a question and she had no idea what it was! 

“I’m sorry” she started, hiding her ruined manicure behind her back, “I didn’t catch what you said” 

Thankfully he didn’t seem to be annoyed with her. A warm smile curled on his lips, the light of it reaching his eyes. _He really does have nice eyes,_ she thought before realizing that she’d let her mind drift once more. Clenching her fist behind her she dug her nails into her palm, trying to keep her attention trained on him as he spoke. 

“It’s alright” he started, giving Naru’s belly a rub, “She ain’t talking so I gotta ask you, does she do this often?” 

Zelda thought for a moment, casting her mind back to every meal she’d eaten. “She has a habit of stealing food, yes. I’ve been meaning to train her out of it but she’s-”

“Pesky?” he finished, flashing her another smile. She could feel her knees going weak as she leant against the wall. The window to her right helped to keep her cool, cold air rushing in past the thin glass. 

“Y-yes, Pesky” she agreed earning herself a dramatic whine from Naru. 

Link let out a chuckle before turning back to the husky. “You’re making you ma worried you know that?” Naru let out another long and dramatic whine, probably trying to say something along the lines of _“But the food smelled so good it’s not my fault”_

“How big was the cake?” Link asked, keeping his eyes on the animal in front of him. Zelda knew he couldn’t possibly be expecting the dog to answer, even as he kept his focus on Naru she knew he had to be talking to her. 

“It wasn’t that large… only about...this big” She made a small circle with her fingers, trying to estimate how big her cake had been. Link glanced over his shoulder at her, the dazzling blue of his eyes seemed to shine slightly in the dancing shadows of the rain water. He gave a small nod before turning back to his bag. 

“Any toppings?” 

“No, just chocolate shavings” Zelda folded her hands in front of herself. She watched him nod slightly as he pulled out a jar from his bag, his hands fiddling with the lid before setting it down on the floor. He didn’t seem to really consider her answer as he returned his attention to his bag. “I’m sorry, is that important?” 

Link turned to look at her, a shy glint in his eye as he flushed. His ears turning a slight pink as he scratched the back of his neck. “Eh, not really” he admitted, eyes darting down the the floor “I’m just curious. I skipped lunch today so I got food on the brain” he let out a weak chuckle, covering it with a cough before raising his eyes back to her. He looked embarrassed, a little flustered, very cute. She felt her chest grow tight at the sight of his abashed half grin. _What is wrong with me?!_ She thought, pressing her nails into the palm of her hand, _I shouldn’t be getting distracted like this!_

“W-would you like me to make you some food?” she asked, cringing inwardly at how weak her voice sounded. Link’s eyes widened in surprise, his cheeks flushing an even deeper pink than before. He threw his arms out in front of him, holding his hands up as if to stop her. 

“N-no it’s alright” he assured her “I have a sandwich waiting on me back at the surgery” he dropped his hands, his smile shifting from shy to sweet. “Thank you though” he said “I appreciate it” 

Zelda nodded to herself, clenching her fists a little tighter to focus herself. Maybe she was just tired? She had been traveling since the early morning and it was late afternoon now. That was probably it, she was just exhausted from her journey and the whole panic with Naru, her lack of focus had nothing to do with the man kneeling before her or his wonderful eyes that seemed to shine like the sun. 

Okay maybe it had something to do with his eyes. 

Link pulled a spoon out of his bag. Zelda watched as he stuck the handle between his teeth, her attention being drawn to his lips as he did so. Fighting back a blush she forced herself to concentrate on anything other than his mouth. Her gaze flitted to his hands as he tried to pry the lid from the jar. A frustrated huff left his throat as he tugged and twisted, his words getting muffled by the spoon in his mouth “damn woman, always screwing things too tight” 

Zelda tried to ignore the strange feeling that settled in the pit of her stomach when she heard the word “woman”. Surely it was just someone he worked with, no need to get… no. NO! She wasn’t jealous. She had no reason to be! The very idea that she could be jealous over a man she’d just met was ridiculous. 

Link’s small cry of triumph broke her from her musings. He set the lid on the floor looking incredibly pleased with himself, his shoulders thrown back in pride. He showed the jar to Naru as if saying _“check this out, look what I did”_ and, try as she might, Zelda found it impossible not to smile at his antics. Even Naru looked impressed with him as she grinned widely, her tail thumping against the couch cushions. 

Dipping his spoon into the jar Link scooped out some of the contents. He seemed to sense Zelda’s eyes on him, his lips tipping up in a small smirk. “Raw goat’s milk” he said, answering her silent question, “It’ll help to neutralise any chemicals in the chocolate that could make her sick. Also it’s just good for her” 

Naru’s ears perked up. She flipped herself back onto her stomach, reaching out with her nose to smell the strange new thing on the spoon. Link’s eyes seemed to twinkle, a hand reaching out to scratch behind her ears. “You ain’t allowed to enjoy this you hear?” he murmured, his tone turning soft as Naru looked at him with big pleading eyes. “This ain’t a treat, it’s to make sure you feel better got it?” Naru gave a weak nod, her eyes focused on the goats milk. Zelda had never seen her so eager to eat anything, not even when she was making a peanut butter sandwich! 

“You gotta promise me something” Link was saying, a stern finger pointed directly at Naru’s nose. He looked like he was trying to be angry, trying to be disappointed or upset. But even Zelda could see the smile hiding in the corner of his lips, the faint shine of humor in his eye. “You gotta promise not to scare your ma like that again. Promise?” He lifted his eyebrow and Naru lowered her head. 

Taking that as a promise, Link moved the spoon to her mouth. Zelda watched as Naru eagerly lapped it up, her ears perked up in joy. In seconds she had cleaned the spoon and was now licking Link’s fingers in an attempt to find more of the goat’s milk. Zelda could see him sneakily moving the jar out of Naru’s reach, content to let her lick and explore. “There’s no more” he was saying, his free hand searching for the lid he’d left on the floor, “that’s all there was, you ate it all” 

<><><>

The rest of the visit went quickly. Link washed up in the kitchen sink leaving the jar of milk on the table (“Just incase she wants a treat” he’d said, screwing the lid back on) And then he’d packed his bag before giving Naru one last cuddle. She’d curled into his embrace, a happy howl echoing through the room much to Zelda’s delight. She would be okay, the chocolate wasn’t going to hurt her. 

Then Zelda had walked him to the door, a strange feeling mixing in her gut and her lungs. She began to worry for a second if she was the one that was getting sick, but she pushed the thought from her mind as Link stepped out onto the driveway. 

The rain had stopped. Sunlight now streamed through the clouds, warming the air and the ground. A light perfume settled across the ground, fresh rainwater mixing with the dry dust of the days before. Link let his shoulders hang happily as he closed his eyes to the bright early evening sun. He looked so calm, so happy. She watched as he pulled his bag up higher on his shoulder, his golden hair almost glowing in the light. 

“I should be off” he said, shifting his feet. The gravel crunched under his foot, the sound chasing off any peaceful silence. “People to see, pets to help” He turned back to face her, a hand raised in farewell. She felt that weird tug in the base of her spine, a desperate need to keep him close for just a little bit longer. 

“Wait” she called out, stopping him from taking another step. The gravel scattered around his feet, the noise almost drowning out the rhythmic pounding of her pulse. 

Then he looked at her. Bright blues almost staring right through her. He raised a brow slightly, silently asking her to continue. That wasn’t good, she hadn’t thought about talking! All she’d wanted to do was to stop him leaving, and even then she wasn’t sure why. Scrambling to find her words she managed, vainly, to string a sentence together. 

“I’ve not paid you” she started, hands uselessly patting her sides as if her purse would somehow materialize. Link let out a soft chuckle, her heart stopping at the sound. 

“I’m off the clock” he said, tucking his hands into his pockets. He closed one eye to the setting sun, the sky slowly turning amber. “‘Sides, I didn’t do much. Just fed her some milk, you don’t have to pay me” 

Guilt began to gnaw on her bones, his wonderful carefree smile making her chest ache, _What is wrong with me?!_ She thought for what felt the hundredth time that evening.

“At least allow me to reimburse you for the journey here” She pleaded. Again Link only smiled in response.

“No need, I walked” He let out another one of his maddening chuckles at her exhausted expression. “I needed the exercise” 

Zelda let out a heavy sigh, tucking her hair behind her ear. It seemed like he was adamant to refuse payment for whatever reason! His cute country charm was quickly becoming very _very_ infuriating. She watched as his smile grew wider, his body swaying from side to side as he watched her. 

“Well then… how much does that milk cost? I can pay you back for the milk at least! Something to show my thanks!” 

Link’s shoulders dropped as he weakly through his hands up in a mock surrender. A lazy smile still curled on his lips. He tipped his head to the side, soft golden hair falling in front of his eyes. “I don’t need anything but your thanks” he started, sliding his hands back into his pockets. “But a jar of milk like that is about 10 rupees. You can pay me at the surgery if you want” He gave her another dazzling smile and Zelda wondered if he was doing it on purpose. 

“Alright” she conceded, her voice leaving her in a breathy hush. “I-I’ll drop the money off when I can. Thank you, again” 

Link nodded his head, that damned beautiful smile never leaving his lips. “Just doin’ my job Miss. I’ll see ya ‘round” And with that he turned on his heel, the gravel scraping against his boots as he began the long walk back to the village. 

Zelda watched his retreating form, eyes trained solidly on shoulders as he got further and further away. The cool night breeze began to settle in as the sun sank below the treetops and still she stood there, on her front doorstep, watching the space where he’d stood. His footprints were still clear in the gravel path. Inside the house Naru gave a dramatic howl, no doubt upset by the cold air rushing in through the open door. 

The noise startled Zelda, causing her to jump. She’d been lost in her own thoughts of charming smiles and kind eyes. She hadn’t realized that the sun had long since set, the man who occupied her thoughts had long since left, and she was left alone. 

For some reason… she missed him? 

The realization came like a knock to the gut. Zelda Harkinian, heir of the Harkinian fortune, oldest family in Hyrule, had a crush on the country Vet. 

“Shit”


	2. The Earring

She’d been preparing for dinner when it happened. 

She’d been _“requested”_ by her father to take his place at the annual “Spring Dinner” An event hosted every year for only the most elite members of Hylian society. It was the perfect opportunity to network and create business connections with other rich bored heirs with nothing better to spend their parent’s money on. And while it was almost necessary, Zelda found the whole event absolutely abysmal. 

She’d been content to just let her mind wonder as she was getting ready, brainstorming excuses to leave early. She was in the middle of painting her lips when Naru gave an all mighty heave. 

Zelda had, of course, rushed to the kitchen where Naru was trying her best to cough…something, up. Her hackles raised and her ears pushed flat against her head as she coughed and heaved and, to Zelda’s utter horror, choked. It was a mystery what she could have swallowed that was making her act like this, what was causing her such distress. 

And then Zelda noticed the diamond earring on the counter, twinkling innocently in the harsh kitchen light, and it all came back to her. 

She’d been rushing, desperate to get ready and get the whole Dinner over with, when Naru had demanded her own dinner. Zelda had been in the act of putting her earrings in when she went to attend to her pet, maybe one of them had fallen into the food.

After that realization it hadn’t taken the young heiress long to call the surgery and ask that someone was sent over. She didn’t want to risk causing Naru any more damage by bundling her into the back of a car! Especially not if she had a diamond earring in her stomach!

The sound of the phone ringing on the other end did little to calm her nerves. The dull electric hum seemed to rattle in her chest with each burst, only adding to the growing panic. Beside her Naru continued to cough, trying to dislodge something from her throat. The pain in Zelda’s heart only seemed to expand at the sound. She counted 8 rings before the phone was finally picked up. 

“Ordon Veterinary Surgery, Ilia speaking. How can I help you?” a woman’s voice answered. Zelda was taken back for a moment, her brain trying to catch up to her body. She was confused. 

Not that she really had any reason to be confused, it wasn’t as if Link was the only Vet in the entire town. No that would be ridiculous. She just hadn’t expected to hear a voice that wasn’t his. Absently, she realized that she was _disappointed_ to hear a voice that wasn't his. 

“Hello? Anyone there?” The voice on the other end jolted her from her thoughts, annoyance clearly ringing through despite the electric disconnect. Gathering her bearings Zelda shifted the phone against the side of her head and cleared her throat. 

“Hello, yes, sorry” she started awkwardly, her voice shaking with every word. She could feel her chest collapsing under the panic, fear closing up her throat. She needed to power through it, for Naru’s sake if nothing else. “Is Link-Uh Doctor Wolfe available?” 

“He’s busy with a patient at the moment. Who’s calling?”

“H-harkinian” she choked out “Zelda Harkinian” 

There was a slight pause on the other line and Zelda could imagine the poor woman sitting slack jawed at her desk. The mental image lifted her mood slightly as she moved one hand to scratch behind Naru’s ears. The husky looked up at her with shining blue eyes, another cough sticking in her throat. 

“Dr Wolfe is busy at the moment, can I take a message?” 

_Shit_

Zelda felt a rush of fresh panic flow through her as Naru coughed again. Bitter, frightened tears began welling up in her eyes, the back of her throat aching with effort of holding back her sobs. Link was the only one she trusted to look after Naru, he’d been the able to comfort her after she ate chocolate. Anyone else would put the already frightened husky on edge! She needed him as ridiculous as it sounded. 

“I-I’m sorry. It’s an emergency” she tried to keep her voice level but her words came out in a desperate croak “It’s my dog she’s...she’s got something stuck in her throat I think it might be an earring” Zelda felt herself collapse into shaking sobs, mentally scolding herself for being so weak in front of a stranger. 

“Hey! Hey, Miss it’s alright” The woman on the phone cooed, her voice instantly cutting through the dark shadow that fell over her heart. “It’s going to be okay” Her voice held no hint of pity, no condescending tone coloured her words as she gently calmed the heiress down. Zelda could feel her heart rate slow, her body begging her to believe the woman’s words. “Doctor Wolfe is almost done, I’ll send him as soon as he’s finished I promise” 

“Thank you” Zelda whispered, wiping her tears from her cheeks. She could practically hear the other woman’s smile down the phone. 

“There’s no need to thank me, just doin’ my job” The sound of a door opening carried through the phone line stopping the woman in her tracks. There was a brief silence before she returned “Give me a second Miss, I’ll be right back” Zelda could hear the phone being placed on the table, muffled footsteps and a conversation hung faintly in the air. She trained to hear anything except _Emergency, Earring,_ and _Zelda._

Thunderous footsteps grew faint as someone ran from the room and the kind woman picked up the phone once more. 

“That was the doctor, he’s on his way now” 

<><><>

Zelda was kneeling on the kitchen floor when she heard the car roll up in the drive, gravel crunching under wheels. Her heart lifted in her chest at the sound, knowing that help had finally arrived. She quickly pushed herself from the floor and ran to the entrance way, kicking off her high heels in her haste. Link had just started knocking when reached him. 

Swinging the door open she saw him, red faced and out of breath. _He must have come straight from the surgery!_ She thought, taking in his appearance. He looked smarter than the last time he’d visited, yet try as he might he could never shake the look of a country vet. His white jacket was creased from the car ride, his hair disheveled. In his hand he carried a large red medical kit. He seemed to flush crimson at the sight of her, his mouth hanging open as if unsure of what to say. His eyes trailed over body and she tried to ignore the weird feeling she got in the pit of her stomach.

“Thank you for coming so quickly” She said, filling in the silence, “Naru’s just through here” Link gave a resolute nod before following her into the house. Their footsteps echoing through the tall corridors as they practically ran to the kitchen. 

Naru hadn’t moved from where Zelda left her, laying across the floor next to her food bowl. She looked so distressed, coughing ceaselessly as she tried to clear her airways. Link moved quickly, kneeling down beside the poor animal. She gave him a sideways glance, seemingly asking him to help her as she coughed again. He said nothing, simply pulling on fresh gloves from his pack and taking her head in her hands. 

“What happened?” he asked, voice hard as Naru coughed into his palm. Zelda knelt down beside him, placing a comforting hand on Naru’s back. 

“I filled up her bowl with food” she started, body and voice already beginning to shake again. _It’s was all my fault!_ “I left to go put my makeup on and I heard her coughing and choking” _How could I be so stupid?!_ “I called the surgery immediately” _I should have been more careful! I should have left my jewellery on the dresser! Maybe then she wouldn’t be in so much pain! I’m so sorry Naru._

A comforting hand pulled her from her thoughts. She lifted her head up to face him, violet eyes catching on sky blue. A small smile hid in the corner of his lips, his thumb stroked the skin of her arm. 

“It’s alright” he soothed “it ain’t your fault” Zelda felt the urge to collapse in his arms grow. The sudden need to feel him wrapped around her blindsiding her for a moment. It was ridiculous she thought, she’d only really met him once before (not counting when she went to drop of the money for the goats milk) she shouldn’t be daydreaming about pulling him into her arms and resting her head in the crook of his neck! 

His hand left her shoulder, moving to join it’s twin on Naru’s muzzle. He was lost in thought as he tilted her jaw up to face him. “Pass me the flashlight” he murmured, titling his own chin toward the medical kit at his side. Zelda was quick to unzip it, fingers raking through countless bandages and splints and salves and gauze. Her nails brushed against a series of metal tools and she finally found what he wanted. He gave her a quick nod of thanks as she handed it to him, their fingers brushing slightly as took it from her. 

Zelda tried to ignore the electric tingle that shot down her spine at the touch of his hand against hers. 

Link opened Naru’s jaw to find rows of sharp white teeth. Dangerous fangs at the front of her jaw shone in the bright artificial glow of the flashlight. “It sounds like she’s got something in her throat, but it’s not blocking her airways” he muttered tilting the light to get a better look around her mouth. Zelda continued to pat Naru’s back, letting her know she was safe. “Hopefully it’s just irritating her and nothing more-AH!” His outburst caused her to jump, bright blue eyes gleaming with pride as he looked at her. “Pass me the forceps please” 

She dug her hands into his bag once more, searching for the strange tweezer like instruments. She found them quickly, her body thrumming with adrenaline as she handed them over to him. Their hands didn’t touch again and she forced down the disappointment in her chest. 

Link put the flashlight between his teeth so he could hold the forceps properly. She watched as he inserted them into Naru’s mouth, concentration plain on his face as he gripped something at the back of Naru’s jaw. He pulled it out carefully, the hand holding her jaw moving to pull at the light between his lips. With a proud gleam in his eye Link lowered the forceps to Zelda’s eye line. 

“What is it?” she asked, tilting her head to get a better look at the object he’d pulled from the husky’s mouth. It looked strange, like a clear plastic wrapper of some kind, certainly nothing like an earring. 

“I’m guessing it’s from the bag you bought the food in” he started, tilting his wrist to look at it from all angles. “Musta slipped past unnoticed till she ate. Got stuck in her back teeth, s’why she was coughing so bad, it was irritating her. Nothing to worry about” His smile eased her worries, panic and stress leaving her in waves. At her knees, Naru tried chomping her jaw again, pleased that the piece of plastic was no longer scraping the back of her throat. 

“I’m glad that’s all it was” she sighed, tucking her hair behind her ear. 

“Not all” he said, confusion colouring his words. Zelda tilted her head to the side, her brow arched in a silent enquiry. “Ilia said you mentioned something ‘bout an earring? We’ll still need to take her in for X-rays and see if it’s in a place where she can let it pass naturally or if we’ll need to operate.” He saw her features twist into worry once more, the idea of them having to operate on her friend was too much to bare. “It’s alright” he acquiesced “most times earrings will just pass through without pain… how big was it?” 

Zelda pushed herself to her knees, shuffling awkwardly to the counter where she’d found the diamond stud. She could feel his eyes on her as she moved but chose to ignore the sensation as she closed her fist around the offending object. Falling back onto her behind she held the diamond out to him, watching as he assessed it with a critical eye. 

“It’s the matching one to this” she stated redundantly as she shuffled closer to him. Naru moved from her position on the floor, getting tired of all the mundane talk around her, before sauntering off into the lounge to relax undisturbed. 

“Doesn’t look like it’d do much damage” He stated, eyes shifting from the earring in her hand to her face. Any words he had planned to say next seemed to die on his tongue as he looked at her. “Miss Zelda” he breathed, his whole body leaning forward. His hand came up between them, her heart started pounding in her chest. She could feel her throat run dry as his fingertips barely grazed against her cheek. A fire seemed to rush through her blood and she could feel herself leaning into his touch. The diamond, the earring, the husky, all forgotten in the time it took him to leisurely drag his fingers over her neck. They stopped at her pulse point, the pounding of her heart barely contained by the thin skin there. _He has to know,_ she thought, watching as his tongue slipped out to wet his lips quickly. Oh How she wanted to lean in and capture them with hers. _He has to know what he’s doing!_

“Miss Zelda” he repeated, almost struggling to find his words “Naru didn’t eat your earring” 

_What?_

Instinctively she raised her hand to his, her fingertips just brushing the bottom of her earlobe. A deep crimson washed over her face, her skin heating in an embarrassed blush. She saw Link’s lips curl into a smile, joy shining unhidden in his bright blue eyes. He didn’t move his hand from her neck, his gentle touch felt like it was burning her skin even more so than the sheer humiliation she now felt. She closed her eyes to his charming smile, dragging her hand from her ear to push against her forehead. 

“I’m wearing it” she mumbled, a weak giggle escaping her. She could feel Link beside her, his own relieved chuckles reverberating through the air between them. A strange feeling of peace settled over her, her entire body relaxing as her giggles grew in volume. She was almost tempted to lean forward and sink into Link’s arms he was so close, to just rest and let her exhausted emotions recharge as they sat on the kitchen floor. She could feel him next to her, his hand still pressed against her pulse point, his thumb tracing soothing circles where her jaw met her ear. 

The whole situation was ridiculously familiar, after all this wasn’t the first time she’d jumped the gun like this. Calling him for an emergency that wasn’t really all that pressing at all. Letting another giggle slip she made a mental note to not be so rash in the future. 

Dropping her hand from her forehead she turned to look at him, gazing up at him through lowered eyelashes. “We’ve got to stop meeting like this” she joked, a wide, beautiful, tired smile curling over her lips. She felt his eyes trail over her once more; a teasing, almost wolf like, grin hid in the corner of his smile. 

“Well,” he started, tilting his head to the side as he looked at her “with you in that dress, we gotta meet more often” 

She’d not really taken much account of what she was wearing. She’d been in the middle of getting ready when Naru had started choking. Taking a quick, cursory, glance down at her dress she was glad to see that she was at least looking tidy this time. No chocolate stain was smeared across her skirt, no coarse grey hair was stuck in the fabric, not a hair of hers was out of place (though she dreaded to think of how her face looked. Mascara was probably running down her cheeks from all the crying she’d done) No the dress was tidy and neat, that was fine. 

It was the cut of the dress that caused her blush to deepen. 

It was business casual! That’s how Midna had justified the purchase to her. The deep purple silk sat in a modest scoop against her chest, not showing much but just showing enough that it was slightly risque if she dared to breathe too deeply. Though really it was the skirt that was the worst offender. The short under skirt only stopped above her knees, and the long tulle overskirt did absolutely nothing to hide her legs!

Legs that Link was now, quite openly, looking at. 

He seemed to realize where his eyes had taken him, a deep blush staining his ears crimson as he snapped back to look at her face. His jaw flapped open and closed like a fish out of water as he struggled to find the words he wanted to say, a strange panic hidden in his eyes. He quickly drew his hand away from her neck, a sharp chill washing over the skin as he did so. She fought back the shiver than ran down her spine, trying to quell any disappointment that threatened to bubble up. Link lowered his hand to his knee, the latex of his medical gloves straining audibly as he clenched his fists. 

“I’m sorry” he started, his voice shaking slightly, “That was inappropriate. I should… I should go” She watched as he started throwing his tools back into his bag, the sound of metal clinking against metal bringing her out of her daze. She wanted to tell him that it was okay, after all what was a little harmless flirting between friends? Wait… were they friends? 

Before she could ponder that for too long Link pushed himself to his feet. He’d already finished haphazardly packing away and was now slinging his kit over his shoulder, a mental checklist rambling from his list. 

“Was just plastic, no x-rays needed. I-I’ll send you the bill tomorrow so there’s no need to pay me now uh” He looked around the room, hands patting his hips as if he was looking for anything he might of left. “That’s it I think” His eyes finally landed on her, still kneeling on the floor with her earring in her hand. She watched as thoughts and decisions flickered past his eyes before he reached down and offered her and hand up. 

_He’s still wearing his gloves,_ she thought absently. Her hand was wrapped around his as she got to her feet, the cold kitchen tiles doing nothing to help the rising heat in her chest. She could hear her heart thud in her ears, everything suddenly becoming too much or too little. 

“I’ll walk you out” she murmured, feeling his hand slip from hers, the tightness in her ribs loosening slightly. He gave a simple nod in response before following her out of the kitchen, down the halls, and out the front door, the silence feeling a little heavier than it had before. 

“Have a nice evening” he muttered, cheeks turning pink in the early evening chill as he walked back to his truck. The faded logo of the surgery displayed proudly on the hood. She watched him throw his medical kit in the trunk, dusting off his hands on his trousers. She was in the middle of wondering if he was going to notice his gloves or not when he made to sit in the driver’s seat. 

“Thank you” she called out, “again I mean… with Naru” 

“I’m just doin’ my job” He gave her smile, a real one, a happy one, before seating himself behind the wheel. “I’ll see you around” 

Zelda gave him one final wave as he drove off, the sound of gravel crunching under his wheels growing fainter and fainter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This CHAPTER OMG!! It fought me so much but I DID IT! I FINISHED IT AND IT'S CUTE AND I'M HAPPY WITH IT!


	3. The Park

The spring air was a pleasant change to the stuffy atmosphere of her office. Outside she was free, it could just be her, Naru, and the sunlight shifting through the leaves. 

The park was surprisingly empty that day, grey clouds from the north threatening to bring the rain with them. But that didn’t deter Zelda or her Husky. Naru always enjoyed jumping in puddles anyway, even if she did end up making a mess. Plus an almost empty park meant Naru had the space to run freely. Throwing the tennis ball in her hand, Zelda watched as Naru sprinted across the field. 

This was heaven. 

Breathing in a deep sigh, lungs filling with the scent of fresh flowers and cut grass, she felt herself relax. This is what she needed, just what the doctor ordered, an afternoon free of stress. What with her father demanding more from her and the constant phone calls from work, not to mention the whole earring fiasco! 

It had been just over a week since it had happened and still the memory of Link’s shocked face made her want to curl up in a ball and scream. It had been mortifying! Midna hadn’t been able to stop laughing when she’d told her, tears rolling down her pale blue cheeks. It had been good to see her friend smile, but Zelda wasn’t going to deny that it was a bit of a blow to her ego. 

“I can’t believe you didn’t notice that you were wearing it!” she had cackled, obviously finding a lot of joy in Zelda’s misfortune. Though it could have been worse, she could have told Midna about Link’s flirting! She never would have heard the end of that. Who knows how many jokes she would have to sit through? Probably countless! And all ending with some variation of the school yard phrase “Ooooh Zelda’s got a _Cruu-uush”_

No, it was best not to think about his flirting comments at all! She already had enough sleepless nights just remembering the way he smiled at her, the almost wanting look in his eyes! She didn’t need to fixate on his voice as well.

Oh, his voice! It was ridiculous for a man to sound so beautiful, not to mention unfair! He already had the looks of a great hero he didn’t get to sound like one as well. Every word was like music on his tongue, even just the simple “hello” became a symphony. Coupled with his kind smile and shining eyes, she was sure he could tell her that she only had thirty seconds left to live and she would thank him. Farore had no doubt taken her time whilst making Doctor Link Wolfe, she probably sculpted him perfectly, right down to his-

_Right. No, that’s enough of that._ Zelda tore herself from her thoughts, instead focusing on where Naru had gotten too. She hadn’t thrown the tennis ball that hard had she? Looking out across the field she searched, eyes focusing on everything that moved, but ultimately saw nothing. Just a few people either enjoying the sun or with their own dogs. Naru was nowhere to be seen. 

A burning panic settled in her chest, her fist clenching around the dog lead in her hand. She could feel the leather creak in protest, her knuckles turning white. _How could I be such a fool?!,_ she cursed, _I should never have taken her off of her lead! She’s never been to this park before. She could have gotten hurt!_ Images of her poor friend in distress swam at the forefront of her mind. This wasn’t like Naru, she wasn’t the best behaved dog all the time but she’d never run off like this! Swallowing down the steadily rising bile in the back of her throat, Zelda began to walk. Maybe she’d find Naru somewhere else in the park? 

“Miss Harkinian?” 

_Shit_

The fiery panic turned to ice cold dread. She knew that voice, that strong soft wonderful voice. The frozen feeling in her chest spread down to her legs, ice holding her against the pavement, trapping her where she stood. She couldn’t run. She couldn’t flee. He’d seen her, here! In the park! Without her dog! She could already feel the humiliation bubble in her gut. What would he think of her? Probably that she was just some air headed heiress who couldn’t even look after her own pet! 

Swallowing down her pride, Zelda turned to face him. It would be better to get it over with she supposed. Then she could go back to looking for her husky. 

“Doctor-” her voice died in her throat. Violet blue eyes going wide as she looked at him. Link stood before her, a tennis ball in his hand and a smile on his lips. His blonde hair had been caught in the breeze and she curse how good it looked on him. He seemed comfortable, his white coat gone in favour of a light jacket. He tossed the ball up in the air for a second catching it with one hand. 

“I think this is yours” he said. Zelda looked at the yellow ball in his hand, brow furrowing slightly. It was a tennis ball… nothing special. Why would he think that it was hers? She was about to ask him what he meant when a long dramatic, joyful, howl interrupted her. 

Naru stood at his feet, a large doggy grin clear on her face. She looked at Zelda as if to say _“Look mum! Look who I found! It’s the nice man you like!”_ All fear and stress vanished in the blink of an eye, overwhelming relief coursing through her veins. 

“Naru!” Zelda cried, kneeling down to take the husky’s head in her hands. “Sweet girl, where did you go?! I got worried” Naru didn’t say anything, she only pushed her head into Zelda’s palms, trying to coax a pet or a scratch from her. 

“That’s my fault” Link knelt down next to her, his hand moving to give Naru a quick scratch behind the ear. “I got to the tennis ball before she did, ended up throwing it a few times for her. Musta distracted her” He shifted his hand to scratch behind his own ear, pink dusting over his cheeks “Sorry if we made you worried”. Zelda couldn’t help the smile that curled over her lips at the sight. 

“It’s alright” She turned to face him, heart momentarily stopping in her chest when she noticed how close he was. She could count every individual freckle that covered his nose, every eyelash, every shade of blue that swirled in his iris. She tried not to think about the last time she’d been this close to him. “I-I’m just happy she was safe. She must like you if you managed to get her to play with you. She’s quite picky I mean” 

Link’s happy grin was infectious. Pure joy radiating off of him in waves. Zelda watched as he scratched behind his ear again, the pink on his cheeks growing deeper. “Shucks” he murmured, his smile turning bashful, “I feel real honoured” 

Zelda felt herself smile with him, a really happy smile. The world around her fading slightly as they knelt next to each other on the damp pavement. Maybe she’d been wrong about before, being alone in the park. Maybe this was heaven instead? 

Naru’s dramatic wail cut off all future thought. She’d grown tired of just sitting there while they smiled at each other. She howled again, the noise ringing in Zelda’s ears, before pressing her nose into Link’s hand. He was still holding the tennis ball, the bright yellow felt peeking out between his fingers. 

“You wanna play?” he asked and Naru let out another howl. He turned to Zelda his head tilted to the side as if to ask _“may I?”_

“Go ahead” she breathed, her voice lost somewhere in her chest. What was it about this man that made her turn from a grown adult into a stuttering school girl? She was Zelda Harkinian for crying out loud she should be able to get through one conversation without dissolving into a blushing mumbling mess! 

Link pushed himself up to standing, Naru jumping up and down with excitement. She moved to stand beside him, watching as he lifted his leg, balancing for a moment, before pitching the ball as hard as he could. Her eyes followed as the yellow tennis ball became a speck on the horizon and Naru began chasing after it with a wild enthusiasm. 

Zelda tucked her arms behind her back. Giving him, what she hoped was, a mischievous grin she said “Very impressive” Link looked quite pleased with himself, a matching smirk shining on his face. 

“Why thank you very much” He teased, dropping to a low bow. She couldn’t hold back her giggles as Naru ran back to them, eagerly dropping the ball at their feet. Link stooped down to pick it up before pitching it across the field once more. He turned his head towards her “How was that?” 

“Almost as good as the first one” she said. Link clicked his fingers, pretending to be frustrated, his wide smile ruined the illusion. 

“I’ll just have to keep practicing” He shrugged. 

The two fell into a comfortable silence, both watching as the husky ran across the grass. Link threw the ball a few more times, getting more and more over the top in his actions. Zelda let herself smile at his joking, playing along and paying him increasingly extravagant compliments. She couldn’t be sure, but she thought he may be blushing. 

Link let the ball fly once more, this time adding a spin to it as he let it go. Zelda watched as it flew further than the others had before, arcing in the air before rolling on the grass. Like a shot Naru was gone, running after it as fast as she could. 

“Impeccable form Doctor Wolfe” she teased, her heart feeling a light at the sight of his ears going pink. He lifted his fingertips to his chin before tipping them towards her, a silent thank you. The quiet settled over them as Naru ducked through bushes, searching for the yellow projectile. Link kept his eyes on the husky, keeping track of how the animal moved. 

“She’s looking good” he said, tilting his head towards where Naru was. She’d managed to free the tennis ball from where it had gotten stuck, and was now chasing it as it rolled down an embankment. “Certainly better than the last time I saw her” 

Zelda let out a groan, shielding her face with her hands. The wave of embarrassment was back as she remembered that night. “Please don’t mention it. I feel like such an idiot wasting your time like that” Link’s laugh was gentle and reassuring, no malice hid in his tone. 

“It was a simple mistake to make” he said. She dropped her hands to look at him, his hair shining in the sun, blue eyes brighter than the sky. She could feel herself trust him, her hands moving to hang by her sides. 

“And I was the one who made it” She scoffed at herself, tipping her head back to feel the sun burn against her eyelids. She was thinking about his hand on her cheek again, his touch dimmed slightly by latex, his lips curling into a beautiful smirk. She needed to stop, he was standing right next to her! 

“Anyone could have” He sighed “You’d be surprised at the amount of crazy calls we get. Just last week Rusl got a call to check on a cat who was making ‘strange noises’” He held up his hands, making finger quotes around the words. “In the end it was nothing. Just a cat throwing up a hairball” 

Zelda let herself laugh, the humiliation she’d once felt fading away with each joyful giggle. Beside her Link laughed as well, his eyes crinkled as he smiled, blue seeming even more magical than it had before. 

Naru returned, tennis ball clamped firmly in her jaw, tail swinging wildly at the chuckles that filled the air. It was almost like she could sense Zelda’s happiness, her own doggy smile lighting up her face as her owner knelt before her. Zelda’s hand scratched under Naru’s chin, coaxing the ball from her vice like grip. 

“I never asked” Link started as Zelda finally pried the ball from Naru’s mouth, “did you enjoy yourself?” 

Zelda raised an eyebrow at him as she stood. “What do you mean?” she asked 

“That evening? You were all dressed up you must’ve been going somewhere fancy” 

Holding back another groan, Zelda lobbed the tennis ball into the air. It didn’t fly as far as Link’s had, too much overspin causing it to bounce near to where they stood. She couldn’t bring herself to care much, however, she was too busy thinking about the _Spring Dinner._ The whole event had been incredibly boring as she’d expected it to be. A room full of well-to-do folks all talking about how _wonderful_ and _spectacular_ they all where. She’d have much rather spent the evening curled up watching rubbish TV and shoveling ice cream into her mouth. 

“It was… alright. As dinners go” she said, fingers fiddling with the zip of her jacket. “I’m just glad I was able to leave early. I don’t think I could sit through 6 courses of nonsense” 

“And your partner didn’t mind leaving early?” Link’s voice was oddly quiet, like he was shy about something. Casting a quick glance his way, Zelda saw that he had hung his head. His hair was obscuring his eyes which were no doubt boring holes into his boots, his hands had been tucked into his pockets, and a faint red colour stained the ends of his ears. Yet Zelda couldn’t really pay attention to that, she was caught up on his words. 

_Partner? I work mostly alone… I suppose he could mean Shad. But he’s been in Snowpeak visiting his wife for the past few weeks. I don’t have a business partner to take to corporate dinners, what’s he going on about?_

“I went alone” she said “It was just business after all” Naru bounded over to them, this time dropping the ball at Link’s feet. She sat, patiently waiting for Link to reach down and pitch it again. But instead he stayed still, his head snapping up to meet Zelda’s gaze. 

“A Business dinner?” 

“Yes” Zelda tucked her hands into her jacket pockets, her hands wrapping around the items she had stored there. “My father made me go on his behalf” Link looked… relieved? A heavy sigh pushed past his lips, shoulders drooping under some imaginary weight. 

“So… it wasn’t a date?” 

“No” Zelda giggled, reaching down to pick up the tennis ball before Naru could start whining again. “It wasn’t a date. You kind of need to be in a relationship first to go on dates” She watched as his eyes seemed to sparkle, the emotion within unreadable to her. Avoiding his gaze she threw the tennis ball as hard as she could, watching as it veered of and hit a tree. Naru gave her an unimpressed look before running after the poorly thrown ball. 

“Very impressive” Link teased. She could feel his breath on her cheek, warm air sending a chill through her bones. Zelda tried to hold back the blush that threatened to paint her cheeks. _Why does he always have to get so close?!_ She thought, breath catching in her chest. She turned to look at him, attempting to fix him with a hauty glare. 

“It is impressive” she huffed watching as his sunny smile grew brighter “especially since I do not have the practice that you so obviously do” Link let out a single laugh, the sound cutting through the air like a cannonball. 

“You should have plenty of practice” he chided “dogs need exercise every day” 

“She does get exercise every day!” She squeaked. A slight annoyance began to grow in her chest. _Maybe he does think i’m a bad pet owner,_ she thought, mood souring at the idea. “I take her for walks every day, I just don’t get to play fetch with her very often that’s all” she defended, her arms crossing over her chest, “Castleton isn’t really the best place to raise a dog” 

Link let a lazy smile curl over his lips, shoulders rising slightly in a weak shrug. “I guess it’s a good thing you’re in Ordon then ain’t it?” He turned his gaze to where Naru had curled up below a tree. She’d grown bored of fetch for the moment, and bored of not having their full attention. “It’s nothing but nature out here” 

“It does make a wonderful change” she conceded, arms uncrossing, “I can tell Naru enjoys it as well” The sight of her husky, rolling around in the fresh green grass, relaxed her. Zelda let her shoulders drop, all tension leaving her body. “It almost makes going to that dinner worth it” Link raised an eyebrow at her, a silent question hanging in the air between them. 

Taking a deep breath Zelda steadied herself. “The dinner I went to… it’s supposed to be a networking exercise but everyone just takes the opportunity to gloat about all of their achievements” She could feel the tension slowly return, creeping up her shoulders and threatening to tie around her neck. “It’s hosted somewhere new every year and they picked Ordon this time. Normally my brother goes, but this time my father practically _insisted_ that I take his place! Something about ‘inspiring me to take initiative in my life’ or whatever contrived reason he created to embarrass me” She flinched at the look on Link’s face. His blue eyes going blank as she spoke. The tension finally squeezed around her neck and she felt herself choke. 

“I’m sorry” she mumbled, wrapping her arms around her waist in a desperate squeeze. “You probably don’t want to listen to me ramble about my family life-”

“It’s okay” His voice cut through her doubt. Two little words stopping her in her tracks. “You’ve obviously got a lot on your mind, I’m happy to listen if you need me to” 

She wanted to scream. Just when she thought he couldn’t get any more infuriatingly wonderful he had to pull this goat crap! He was so kind she wanted to curl up into a little ball and implode. She knew it was dramatic but it was very difficult to look at him when he was being so nice to her. 

“Are you sure?” she asked, cringing at how meek and little her voice sounded 

“I’m sure” He smiled again and Zelda was sure she could feel her heart stop moving “besides, I could share a hundred complaints I’ve had in the past” 

Now she was skeptical of that. He always seemed so happy, so upbeat, she couldn’t imagine him being so angry or frustrated about anything… except maybe his job… being a vet had to be stressful yes? She couldn’t imagine the kind of pressure he must face day in and day out. 

“Like what?” she teased. She hoped that her smile came across as less _“I don’t believe you”_ and more _“I’m happy to listen if you need to talk too” _She didn’t want him to think that she didn’t care. If anything she wanted to be his friend.__

__Friend._ _

__The word felt weird in her chest. Her silent crush still wrapped around her heart, squeezing and squeezing until there was nothing left. Sometimes it hurt, really hurt. All she wanted to do was pull him into her arms, maybe rest her head against his shoulder. Giving herself another squeeze she tried to push down those thoughts. _He probably doesn’t feel the same way,_ she thought to herself, _I mean… why would he?__ _

__She wondered if it would hurt more or less to be without his smile._ _

__“Well one time a crazy lady called the surgery because her dog ate a tiny chocolate cake” he teased, mischief shining in his bright blue eyes. Zelda couldn’t hold back the laugh that bubble up in her chest, her mouth hanging open._ _

__“Hey!” she gasped, swatting him lightly with the dog lead in her hand. “That was an emergency!” Link held up his hands in a mock surrender, his own chuckles echoing in the still spring air around them._ _

__“I never said it was you” He laughed “There’s a lotta crazy dog ladies in Ordon”_ _

__“Why don’t I believe you?” She asked, standing toe to toe with him. She hadn’t noticed before but he was… shorter than her. Not by much, but just enough that he had to tilt his head back to look at her. It was cute._ _

__“I don’t know” He shrugged, tilting his head to the left “lotsa people say I’m quite trustworthy”_ _

__“Like who?”_ _

__“Rusl. He works at the Surgery, you might know him as Doctor Hunter”_ _

__“You mentioned him before” she remembered, taking a step back “Are you close?” Link smiled fondly, a hand reaching up to scratch at the back of his neck. He looked relaxed, calm as he rose a shoulder in a half hearted shrug._ _

__“Pretty much” he started, eyes drifting to look at Naru who lay spread out in the sun. “He kinda raised me, taught me everything I know. He’s the best vet in the surgery” he looked proud, a smile as warm as the sun glinted in his eyes. Zelda could tell that he really admired his almost father._ _

__“I’d like to meet him one day” she breathed, surprised to find that she meant it. Normally when those words left her lips it was to some posh idiot who’d never had to work a day in his life, existing solely off of Daddy’s money. But thinking about Link and the way that he admired Rusl so, she found that the words were, probably for the first time, completely sincere._ _

__“You might do if you stick around Ordon long enough” Link murmured. His voice became low, the rough timbre mixing deliciously with his soft accent. He stood incredibly still, like living marble “How long are you staying in Ordon anyway?”_ _

__Zelda paused for a moment, her mind running through an imaginary calendar. How long was she planning to stay? She only really needed to be in Ordon for the Spring Dinner and that was over, staying any longer would mean missing out on work and she couldn’t do that. As much as she complained she truly did enjoy her job. However, perhaps another week wouldn’t hurt? Ordon really was lovely, it would be a shame to leave so quickly._ _

__“Are you that eager to get rid of me?” she asked, only half teasing. Link took a deep breath, as if readying himself to say something. She could see the courage build behind his smile, mounting as he ran through a list of scenarios in his head._ _

__“No, just…” And then he faulted. “Just curious is all”_ _

__Before she could responde, a sharp electronic buzz wrang through the air. Link suddenly became a flurry of movement, arms and hands patting down the pockets of his jacket and jeans, searching for something. Zelda watched as he pulled out his phone, flashing her an apologetic look before pressing it to his ear._ _

__“Hello” he said, turning his body away from her as if to keep the call privet. Zelda forced herself to look away, to study the treeline or the husky who was now making her way back over to them. All the while trying to bite down the inexplicable rise of jealousy at the sound of a woman’s voice on the other end of the line._ _

__“Yeah, no I understand” he said, voice drawing Zelda back to him, “You can’t help these things. Alright I’ll see you in a bit. Love you, bye” She watched as he hung up, sliding the phone back into his pocket. “Sorry about that” he breathed, hands patting his thighs awkwardly._ _

__Zelda turned her eyes to Naru as she butted her head against her knees. “It’s quite alright” she breezed, hand reaching down to scratch the husky between the ears. “Was that your girlfriend?” She tried to sound disinterested, keeping her focus on the animal in front of her instead of on the man next to her._ _

__“My secretary actually” A brief chuckle left his lips before he realized how it sounded “W-well that’s not right, she’s not just _My_ secretary. She works at the surgery with me so she’s kinda the secretary for everyone there” The red blush was back as he rambled, his hand instinctively moving to scratch the back of his neck. It seemed to be a habit of his, something he did when he was nervous “I don’t have a girlfriend” _ _

__Zelda was almost ashamed of how quickly she turned her head to look at him. Naru’s ear scratches were completely forgotten as the heiress tired to think of something to say that wasn’t _“I can’t believe that you don’t have a girlfriend!”_ or _“Are you looking for one? Because I’m right here”_ _ _

__“What was she calling you about?” she asked instead, fingers twisting around the leather dog lead once more. “Nothing serious I hope”_ _

__“Nah it’s just… I gotta run. One of the goats down at the ranch is giving birth, they need an extra pair of hands so…” he hit his fist against his palm, the dull sound shuddering through the air between them. He looked almost… hesitant? She wanted to believe that he was trying to think of some way to stall or at least a decent end to their conversation._ _

__“It was nice to see you again” she supplied, heart skipping a beat as he smiled back at her. He nodded slightly, shoving his hands in his pockets to keep them out of the way._ _

__“It was nice to see you too, especially without the pressure of this one being at death’s door” he pointed to Naru who looked quite offended at being referred to as _This one._ Zelda let herself giggle, not knowing what quite to say. She didn’t want him to leave, but as the silence began to grow she couldn’t help but remember that there was a goat somewhere who needed his help. _ _

__“I’ll see you around?” he asked, feet beginning to carry him away from her. She could only nod, watching as he began to inch further and further away. It was almost like he was waiting for something, but Zelda didn’t want to think about what that could be lest she get her hopes up._ _

__And then he turned away from her, and all she could see was his back. She could hear Midna in her head, dramatically urging her to take action, to do something to stop him from walking away. A wave of adrenaline coursed through her veins and she called out “Wait!”_ _

__Link turned back to look at her and she realized that she didn’t have a plan for what to say next. Quickly stammering out the first thing that came her mind she cried “Can I have your number?” She could feel her cheeks turn pink as his mouth dropped open slightly, almost like he was shocked. “F-for emergencies, just in case Naru… you know” she clarified, heart beating like a drum against her ribs. She watched as his face changed, eyes dimming slightly as he reached his hand into his pocket._ _

__“Yeah sure” he breathed, taking a quick step towards her. He pressed a small card to her hand, fingertips brushing slightly against her palm. Rough skin brushed smooth and, as fast as he had arrived, he left. Link gave her one last wave from over his shoulder before breaking out in a short jog._ _

__Zelda watched him go, eyes fixed on the slope of his shoulders. She hadn’t looked at the card in her hand, she’d do that at home where she could agonize about how to contact him in privacy. Beside her Naru made an unamused noise, displeasure curling from the back of her throat. Zelda shot her look, sliding the card into her back pocket._ _

__“Hush you” she muttered before picking up the ball once more and throwing it as hard as she could._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wait... is that? Plot?! 
> 
> This chapter was really fun to write! I want to thank Andelynk for her help looking over it. I'm in serious need of a Beta Reader, if you're interested hmu at liv-andletdie.tumblr.com. Any help at all is appreciated, no matter how small. 
> 
> Thank you all for reading, I hope you enjoyed it <3


	4. The Phone Call

“He did what?”

“He gave me his business card.” 

Zelda lay on the sofa, late afternoon sun shining through the windows. She held her phone pressed between cheek and shoulder so her hands were free to gently stroke Naru's ears. “I asked him for his number and he gave me his business card.” On the other end of the line, Zelda could hear Midna groan, her voice warped and electronic.

“And you made it clear you were asking for his personal number?” She questioned. Zelda could almost see her, long dark brows furrowed, red eyes demanding only the truth. It was incredible the power she had; Zelda didn’t even need to be in the same room as the Twili to feel intimidated. 

“W-well… um...” Her mental image of Midna rolled her eyes, silently begging for some force of mercy. “I kind of said that… I told him that… for emergencies… you know?”

The groan that left Midna’s lips was almost deafening. Zelda felt her cheeks grow hot in embarrassment. She really should have been clearer in the park. She’d just been so desperate for him not to leave! Maybe a small part of her had hoped he would silently understand what it was she was asking, that he would just hand over his personal number to a near stranger.

“I can’t believe you,” Midna muttered, affection and annoyance ringing in her tone. “I love you Zel, but… come on?” Zelda let herself sink into the cushions, trying to hide from the nonexistent glare her friend was casting her. Sensing her discomfort, Naru pushed her head against her hands, a small whimper escaping her jaws. 

“I know,” She sighed, shifting her phone to rest on the other shoulder. “I should have said something. But he was in a rush! They needed him down at the ranch, it wasn’t like I could stop him from going” 

“It doesn’t take that long to put a number into your phone, Zelda,” Midna chided. Zelda could imagine her running her hands down her cheeks in frustration, light blue skin becoming flushed with indigo. 

“There was an emergency!” She cried, the noise startling Naru and making her jump. “Like an actual emergency!” The husky gave her an annoyed glare before stalking over to her dog bed in the corner of the room. Zelda’s eyes followed her, a silent apology hanging from her lips. 

“Zelda,” Midna let out a deep breath. The air whistled down the line, ringing in her ears. _Uh-oh,_ she thought distantly, _Midna only calls me “Zelda” when she’s mad._

“If he had time to stand there and ramble about his secretary,” Midna continued, trying her best to keep her voice calm and level, “Then he had time to punch ten little digits into a phone”

The Twili’s logic was infallible. The young heiress fell silent, jaw opening and closing like a fish out of water as she ran over Midna’s words in her head. _He had time, he had time,_ he had time, looping over and over again in her mind. Her own mistake stared her right in the eyes and laughed. 

“I’m an idiot” she murmured, hands moving to cover her face. She muffled a groan behind her palms, her phone sliding off of her shoulder to clatter against the floor. The sound dimly registered in her ears as it connected with the hard wood, but she couldn’t bring herself to pick it back up. Midna was no doubt going crazy on the other end. That thought made her smile slightly. Midna could get a little dramatic at times (though, thankfully not as dramatic as dear Naru) if she wanted to go on a rant to empty air then she could, Zelda needed a few seconds to herself. 

She ran through the events of the other day. She’d taken Naru to the park, thrown the tennis ball, contemplated life and her place in the universe, thrown the tennis ball again, thought about Link, thrown the tennis ball again, lost her dog, painked, found her dog and Link, flirted with Link (Oh Goddesses) then tried and failed to get his phone number before he ran off. 

Really, the whole conversation was a blur. She could remember bits and pieces, mostly her fumbling over what to say and mentioning her family for some reason. But she also remembered the way he smiled at her. His lips curled in a lazy grin, blonde hair shining in the sun and the warm look in his beautiful blue eyes. He’d looked so happy when they spoke, and yet ran off the first chance he got! 

_That’s not fair,_ she reminded herself, _He had somewhere to be he didn’t just ‘run off’._

The word “Emergency” tended to get thrown around a lot whenever she talked about Link. It was always an Emergency that pushed them together, or an Emergency that pulled them apart. In the back of her mind she couldn’t help but worry slightly, even if it had been nothing serious. He’d said it was something about a goat and needing an extra pair of hands, she hoped that the animal was alright. She tried to calm her fears, reminding herself that he had time to stand around and look hesitant before she failed in her own separate endeavour. 

The look in his eyes. 

He’d wanted to say… something? She could remember, in painful clarity, the way he just stood there. His hands tucked in his pockets, his lip held between his teeth. Maybe he’d been waiting for her to say something? But then… what would he have wanted her to say? She tried to run through any questions they’d asked each other, her mind running backwards like a record on a faulty machine. And like a record her brain tripped over the first little nick, sending it back to repeat over and over. 

_“Love you, bye”_

He’d said “Love you,” to his secretary. A bubbling discomfort sat in her chest. Surely it was nothing, people say “love you” all the time! And he’d even said that he didn’t have a girlfriend… he didn’t say anything about a boyfriend though. The bubbles began to rise, clogging her lungs, making it difficult to breathe. It was ridiculous to just assume anything, and yet, the more she thought about it the more her mind clung to that stupid little phrase. “Love you, bye” 

Wrenching her hands from her face, she leaned down to grab her phone. Midna was still on the line as she pressed the device against her ear, twisting so she lay on her side propped up by her elbow. 

“-you get what I’m saying Zel?”

“Why would someone tell their secretary they love them?” Zelda could practically feel Midna’s confused glare burning at the back of her head. 

“Have you been listening to _anything_ I’ve said?” She questioned, tone laced with something vaguely resembling annoyance. Zelda let herself sink against the cushions again, trying to ignore the look Naru was giving her from across the room. 

“...No,” she replied sheepishly, her blush already climbing over her neck and cheeks. “I uhh… I dropped the phone on the floor.” 

Silence. 

Zelda counted to ten, waiting for any response from her friend. She could almost see Midna’s blank, unamused glare. Red and yellow eyes burning holes into the space in front of her as she considered hanging up the phone altogether. 

“I’m not going to ask,” She finally said with a sigh, exhaustion seeping into her words. Zelda felt her heart kick back into gear, relieved that the twili hadn’t given up on her just yet. “What was your question again?”

Clearing her throat slightly Zelda said “When I was with Link he got a call from his secretary. He told them he loved them.” 

Midna fell silent once more, and Zelda was sure she was rolling her eyes. “Maybe he does?” She mumbled, words hidden behind what sounded like her palm. Zelda wasn’t sure why, but the fact that Link _could_ be in love with someone, made her chest feel tight. Her ribs seemed to collapse in, crushing her lungs and making it difficult to breathe. 

“But, he told me that he didn’t have a girlfriend,” She choked, moving to lie on her back against the sofa. Across the room, Naru gave her an almost sympathetic look. 

“Wait you asked him if he was single!?” Midna yelped, catching her a little off guard. “That’s a little forward for you.” She sounded impressed almost, her words painted with the hint of a teasing grin.

Zelda felt her face heat in a blush, embarrassment flowing through her veins. “I-I didn’t ask if he was single!” she stammered as her cheeks turned pink, “I just asked if it was his girlfriend on the phone and he said ‘No it’s my secretary, I don’t have a girlfriend’” 

Midna’s laughter was like music most of the time. A beautiful sound that forever made Zelda feel at ease and happy. Nothing could be wrong if Midna was laughing, nothing at all. When she laughed the world laughed with her… except when she was laughing _at_ you. Then it just became incredibly uncomfortable. 

“Zelda,” she wheezed, coming down from her laughing fit, “I think he’s into you” 

“Don’t get my hopes up Mid. He said-”

“I know what he said!” She cut in, tone suddenly sharp as a knife. “But it might have been just a goodbye thing. I tell you I love you all the time” 

“Yes, but-” 

“Maybe they’re friends outside of work? Maybe they’re related?” Midna interrupted again, determined not to let her friend dig herself into a pit of despair with her thoughts. “I think you’re overcomplicating things Zel.”

Midna did have a point. Not that Zelda would ever admit it 

“If they were related, he’d have said that she was his sister instead of his secretary,” Zelda huffed, tugging a pillow to her chest and squeezing it tight against her. _And he’d have mentioned earlier when we spoke...maybe?_

“Then they’re friends!” Zelda imagined Midna throwing her hands up in the air, an exhausted, annoyed look painting her features. “Look,” she sighed “the only way you’re going to know is if you go and ask him”

“I can’t do that!” Zelda almost screamed! Naru gave her an alarmed look before letting out her own howl into the air. She could barely hear Midna ask ‘why not?’ over the husky’s cry. “You can’t just walk into someone’s place of work and demand that they tell you about their life at home,” She explained, a hand leaving her pillow to gesture to Naru, silently asking her to calm down.

“I wasn’t suggesting that, you ninny,” Midna chuckled. “I was suggesting that you go ask him out.” The only thing missing from her sentence was the word ‘duh’ and an eye roll. It was ridiculous how childish the two of them could sound. 

“I don’t have his number,” Zelda breathed, momentarily giving up on getting her husky to be quiet. “And I can’t call him at work either. Imagine how awkward that would be, not to mention unfair. It wouldn’t be right to corner him at his job and ask him out for coffee… not that I’d even have time for a date anyway” 

“What do you mean?” 

Zelda felt herself deflate, her arm returning to wrap around the pillow. “I got a text from Shad earlier,” she explained, not even trying to hide the frustration she felt. “He’s had to cut his holiday short, apparently there’s something happening with the Terminans that needs desperate attention.” _However not desperate enough for my father to tell me himself._

“So, you’re coming home?” Midna asked, a slight glimmer of hope seemed to peak through her words. 

“I’ll have too,” Zelda sighed, rolling onto her side once more. She folded herself around the pillow, hugging it with her entire body. “I can’t just abandon them while I go and pretend I’m in some sort of cliché rom com with the country vet.” 

“Do you know when?”

“The earliest train is in a few days, it gives me time to get Naru a check up before I leave. She’s probably got a cold or something, but she keeps sneezing and I just want to make sure,” Zelda cast a quick glance over at Naru. She’d stopped howling and was now, instead, resting her chin on the window sill. “Can dogs get allergies?” 

“Not sure. So are you going to see him again?” Midna asked, faint excitement colouring her words. “Just one last time, before you leave?”

“Probably not.”

“Zelda.” 

“I’d rather not. The idea of seeing him again just to leave…” Zelda felt her throat go tight, her eyes prickling with unshed tears. She could already imagine him, his warm welcoming smile dying on his lips, blue eyes going dim at the knowledge that she wouldn’t be sticking around. But then… well, surely that was all just fantasy. He most likely wouldn’t care that the Heiress from out of town was leaving so soon. After all, why would he? 

“It sounds ridiculous, but I don’t want to do it.” 

“I understand,” Midna sighed, for once not sounding sarcastic or callous. On the other end she could hear noises, something that sounded like a man arguing with something. Midna let out a gentle curse before saying, “I gotta go, I’ll see you when you get back. We’ll meet up, get a few drinks, talk to people.” It was obvious that she was trying to cheer her up, but, to Zelda, the idea of going out and talking to people… it all felt rather empty. 

“Flirt more like,” she joked, trying to hide the lump that was forming in her throat. 

“Only in my case.” Midna laughed again, except this time it seemed almost forced. “I need you here, I’m useless without my wing woman” 

“I thought you were seeing that girl with the pink hair?” 

“Her? No… she wouldn’t take off her false nails. It wasn’t fun” 

“Yikes.” Zelda hissed.

“Yikes indeed!” the noises behind Midna grew louder, a male voice clearly rising above the others “Urgh” Midna’s tone turned to one of disgust. “I’m sorry, it’s Zant.” Zelda felt her grimace grow at the mention of Midna’s childish coworker. He’d been a thorn in her side since the moment they started working together, and it had only gotten worse since she’d been chosen over him for a big promotion. His squawking rose in volume and Zelda felt her heart go out in pity to whichever poor soul was on the end of his tirade. 

“I really have to go now, but keep your head up chick.”

“You too,” Zelda murmured, letting herself sink against the cushions once more. “Love you”

“Love you too. Bye” 

The line went dead, a long dull hum echoing through the air. Zelda kept her phone pressed against her ear, just listening to the tone for a few seconds. She didn’t want to get up. Getting up meant getting ready to leave, it meant packing up her stuff, her life. It meant having to be an adult and go to work. It meant making the first steps in leaving Ordon for Goddesses know how long. 

Getting up meant leaving Link. 

With a heavy sigh, Zelda pushed herself off of the couch, the old wood floors creaking under her weight. She paid no attention to it, too lost in thought as she made her way upstairs to pack her bags.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kind of a shorter chapter this time (College has been kicking my ass. If this was a boxing match it would have hit me with a TKO 3 rounds ago) 
> 
> A Little housekeeping in this chapter notes, I realized I caused a little confusion with Link in the last chapter (He told his secretary that he loved them) I just want to say, out right, Midna is correct in her assumptions. I originally wasn't planning on addressing it because I didn't think it would come up, more will be explained in the next chapter which will be from Link's POV (isn't that exciting) 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading. Thank you to Andelynk and Electragoob for reading over this chapter and giving me your invaluable help.


	5. The Departure

It was raining again. 

Ordon was used to it’s spring storms. The humidity rolling over from the Faron region caused frequent rains, warm showers that seemed to wash away the final dregs of a winter. Each storm brought a new warmth to the sleepy village, wiping the slate clean and shrugging off the worries and stresses of the past days. 

It had been raining when they’d first met. He hadn’t minded it, almost enjoyed it even, as he’d walked up to the country estate. It had been somewhat invigorating, each drop seemed to breathe life into his tired and weary bones. The sky getting lighter with each step he took as the clouds rolled across the endless blue. 

This rain was different. It didn’t carry the same warmth or comfort as it had before. There was no promise of a new life, no reassurance that the sun would shine again. This rain stung with a winter cold, his hands going numb as they clung to the bag slung over his shoulder. Keeping his head down against the freezing winds he pushed onwards, shoes crunching against the gravel beneath his feet. 

Link had heard from Rusl that she was leaving. She’d come in the day before, Naru plodding along behind her on a leash. Both owner and pet had looked miserable, sleepless nights hanging heavy over their shoulders. Rusl had taken the appointment in his stead, a medical emergency with a cat had taken priority over a routine check up, and as such, Rusl had been the first and only person at the Ordon Veterinary Surgery to find out that Zelda Harkinian was headed back to Castleton. 

To say Link was upset by the news wouldn’t have been inaccurate. He always knew it was a possibility that Zelda would pack up and leave Ordon as quickly as she had arrived. But the reality of it, the glaring truth that he wasn’t going to see her again… well, it hurt. It hurt a lot more than he expected it to, and at the same time a lot less. It was like a dull ache in his chest, reminiscent of the phantom pains someone feels after getting their leg amputated. 

He reasoned, as we walked up the path, that perhaps he was less hurt at the fact that she was leaving and more hurt that he’d heard about it from Rusl. Not like that made ANY sense though. The two were near perfect strangers! If she was leaving she didn’t need to tell him why or when. It wasn’t his business. 

He let his feet stop with his thoughts, stranding him in the middle of her driveway. 

Rusl had diagnosed Naru with a slight cold, nothing serious just a few sniffles and some discomfort that would hopefully pass in a few weeks. It wasn’t anything to worry about but, for some unknown reason, Link did. Maybe it was the idea of an animal in distress, or maybe it was just a desperate desire to see Zelda one more time, but he’d taken it upon himself to bring the prescription to her. 

It had seemed like a great idea at the time. Bring the medicine, check on the dog, see Zelda, say goodbye to Zelda, try to be charming so Zelda doesn’t think he’s weird, manage a suave goodbye so the last memory she has of him won’t be him having to run off to deal with a goat emergency, and then leave. Simple, easy, foolproof. Nothing could mess it up. 

Then he saw her. Just a few feet away, big black coat hanging over her shoulders as she piled her luggage into the back of the taxi. 

Naru was already in the back seat, a mournful look on her canine features. Zelda was murmuring something to her, trying as best as she could to get the husky to cheer up to no avail. She was beautiful. Link had always thought she was beautiful. Even if he didn’t want to admit it,on some level he had always found her attractive. Her long brown hair was pulled tightly back into a ponytail, the little wisps that escaped were quickly plastered to her forehead and cheeks with the heavy rain. Her nose was a cute pink from the chill, and her lips- he couldn’t even bring himself to look at her lips. 

He shifted his weight slightly causing the gravel under his boots to crunch. Link watched as her ears twitched at the sound, her whole body turning to face him. Royal blue eyes clouding with shock (and another emotion he didn’t want to think about) as she saw him standing before her, drenched, cold, and hopelessly out of place. 

“H-howdy” he choked out. _So much for being smooth_ , he thought, biting the inside of his cheek to keep himself from grimacing. 

“Doctor Wolfe,” she breathed, the words falling from her lips in a cloud of white. She seemed stunned, almost scared, as she looked at him. He watched her recover slightly, pushing her shoulders back and standing up a little taller. “What an unexpected surprise” she said, feigning a smile “I’d offer you in for a cup of coffee but as you can see I’m…” she trailed off, eyes casting down to look at her feet. 

“Leaving” He supplied, swallowing back the bad taste the word left on his tongue. “Yeah, Rusl mentioned it earlier. ” 

Zelda started to frown, confusion clear in her eyes. “He did?” 

“Yeah, N-not in a creepy way!” he stuttered, trying to back track and avoid painting his mentor as some kind weirdo who shared people’s personal information with near strangers. “Just like a normal… offhanded kinda way that people do.” That made sense… yeah. 

Zelda nodded slightly, her hand moving to brush rainwater off her cheek. He watched as a drop ran down her jaw, it’s wet trail lost to the rest of unrelenting water. She didn’t seem to notice as it ran down her neck, disappearing under the collar of her coat. For a second he felt the terrible urge to lean forward and wipe the drop away, to reach out and touch her like he had that night on her kitchen floor. He’d been a fool then, probably made her feel uncomfortable, he wasn’t going to let himself get carried away like that again. Tightening his hands around the strap of his bag, he tore his eyes from her neck. 

“Is there…” she started, breaking the silence that had settled over the two of them. “Is there something I can do for you?” 

_You could stay_ , He thought, mentally giving himself a slap on the wrist. “No, no. I... uhh,” he fumbled, words spilling from his lips likes marbles thrown across the floor. “I - well we... well maybe I, uhh… We didn’t know if you’d be able to make it to the surgery to pick up Naru’s medicine so I thought I’d save you the hassle and bring it here for you.” His hands left the strap of his satchel, moving to rummage around in the old worn leather before he pulled out a simple white paper bag. It was a little battered from being shoved haphazardly into his pack, but it seemed to have survived the journey. 

Zelda took it from his hands, a beautiful smile curling over her lips, stopping his heart instantly. “Thank you” she said, holding against her chest. 

“No sweat, just-” _wanted to see you again_ “-doing my job.” 

“Of course,” she murmured, shoulders drooping a little as if the idea that he was only there for business hurt her in some way. He didn’t want to read into it, he was too scared of imagining something that wasn’t there, of getting his hopes up only to have them shattered at his feet. 

Something seemed to dawn on her then, her blue eyes quickly darting around as if looking for something. Tightening her arms around her she asked, “Did you walk here?” 

Link let out a small chuckle, his shoulders raising in a half hearted shrug. “Yeah” 

“In the rain?”

“I don’t mind the rain”

“You’ll catch your death,” she sighed, something like a giggle getting stuck behind her teeth. Her lips curved into that heart stopping smile once more, rare joy twinkling in the deep blue of her eyes. But her words were laced with worry. Concern for a friend maybe? (Gods he hoped she considered him a friend) 

“I’m a big boy,I can handle it,” he smirked, trying to ease whatever worry was working its way behind her eyes. She looked like she wanted to chide him for leaving the house without a proper coat or something, not that she was faring much better. She was already drenched from the rainfall herself. 

“What about you? you aint got an umbrella or something?” He joked, only half teasing. Naru already had a cold, it wouldn’t be good if Zelda got one to. 

“I’m getting into a car, she countered, a smug grin causing her cheeks to pinken slightly. “I won’t be out in the rain for much longer” 

He couldn’t help but laugh then. Even if he had lost whatever game they were playing, even if she was still standing there without an umbrella, even if they were both going to get sick after this, he still couldn’t fight back his grin at her. She looked so proud of herself, laughing along with him as he acquiesced, “True… that is true” 

From her spot in the back seat, Naru tried to join in. A weak howl curling through the air, punctuated by a sneeze. Link couldn’t help the breathy laugh that escaped him. His heart went out to Naru, it really did, but watching as she pulled a ridiculous face trying to clear her nose he just couldn’t help it. In front of him Zelda let out her own sigh, arms folding tighter around her waist, the faint crunch of the medicine bag getting lost to the still heavy downpour. 

And then she turned to him fully, gravel shifting beneath her feet, the sound raking through the air. His breath stopped in his lungs and his heart gave one last resounding thud as she fixed him with her royal blue eyes once more. 

“Link…” she started, his name falling from her lips in a way that made him lightheaded. He’d heard people say his name before. It was short, sweet, and easy to remember. But hearing her say it, hearing the way is sounded in her voice, caused a strange tightness in his chest. It felt like his ribs were being crushed in the most painful and beautiful of ways. 

She looked like she wanted to say something more, her thoughts visibly dancing in her eyes. He wanted to ask her what was on her mind, to get her to open up to him. She worked up the courage to speak, a large intake of breath to steady her thoughts. And as she spoke he knew it wasn’t all that she wanted to say.

“Thank you.”

“Happy to help.” It was a standard reply, one his mouth uttered before his brain could process what he wanted to say. He tried to force a lazy smile, to look calm and unfazed by her thanks, but inside his heart had kicked into overdrive once more. 

“I mean it,” she said, a slight panic pushing her words. 

He dropped the smile, true sincerity seeping into his bones. “I know.” He watched as some tension left her shoulders, a relieved and happy smile glowing on her face. 

The two stood for a while, just basking in each others company for a stolen moment. Neither seemed to notice, or care, about the weather. Neither seemed to be aware of the Taxi and the running meter. Neither seemed to focus on anything except the other. And for one, blissful, moment Link could forget that she was leaving and imagine that she wanted to stay. 

Naru let out another weak howl, shattering the moment. 

Zelda’s cheeks flushed pink with the cold. “Well,” she said taking a hesitant step back, the heel of her boot sending gravel flying. “I best be going,” she turned towards the taxi, quickly placing the medicine into the trunk and slamming it down. “I’ve got a train to catch so-”

“Wait!” his hand darted out, landing on her forearm. He half expected her to flinch, to pull away and look at him as if he was crazy. But she didn’t. She just… looked at him, her expression open, her eyes bright. 

“Yes?”

“Uhh…” his mind flooded with a thousand things he wanted to say. Chief among them being the intense desire to ask her to stay, matched only by the guilt that he felt at asking that. She had a life outside of Ordon, one that didn’t involve him. It was busy and hectic and stressful, but it was hers. It was a life she had made for herself, one she was comfortable in no doubt. The longer he thought, the more he pondered, the greater his guilt became. 

He wanted to ask her, but he couldn’t. 

Who was he to ask her to stay? What could he possibly offer her? She was the most incredible woman he’d ever met. Zelda Harkinian. Heir to a vast fortune, conscientious business woman, proud dog owner, philanthropist, and the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. He could offer her nothing that would make her leave her life in the city, nothing of worth anyway. He was just a simple country vet with a ridiculous crush on someone who would never return his feelings. 

But she was still looking at him, royal blue eyes staring deeply into his. She was waiting for an answer, a reason why he’d stopped her so suddenly. His hand was still wrapped around her forearm, the skin under his touch growing warm. Absently he moved his thumb, brushing against the damp fabric of her coat sleeve. 

“Journey safe,” he said, giving her arm a slight squeeze before pulling back. 

“I will,” she promised

“And.... if you’re ever back in Ordon, my door’s always open. I mean the surgery door, for… ya’know... uhh... if you need something for Naru or… or you just wanna say hi.” 

“Thank you,” she smiled. “I’ll keep that in mind.” The gravel at her feet crunched as she turned to leave, her head bowed slightly. He took a step back, letting his arms go limp at his sides. His wrist brushed against his bag startling him into remembering. 

“Oh, wait. One more thing” he gasped, hands quickly diving into his bag once more. He felt his palm brush against cool glass as he drew out a jar of goats milk. The very same thing he had given her when they first met. “I don’t know if you’ve finished the first jar or not, but I thought it might help with getting her to take her medicine. I don’t know what she’s like with taking it but i-it’s a gift. A goin’ away gift.” He held it out to her, forcing down the feeling of electricity that threatened to course through him as their fingers touched. 

“Thank you,” she drew the jar to her chest, her eyes seemed to sparkle with unshed tears. “Really, it’ll be a huge help”

“My pleasure,” he choked and the revelation that he had nothing else to say. He’d given her the medicine, the milk, wished her well on her journey. There was nothing he could do to prolong this moment any more than he already had. “So, I guess… this is goodbye”

Zelda swallowed, shifting her feet and throwing her shoulders back. Even in the middle of a downpour she still looked like royalty. “I guess it is,” she breathed, voice strained slightly. “Goodbye, Doctor Wolfe”

“Goodbye, Miss Harkinian.” 

And just like that, she was gone. Sitting in the front seat of the taxi, pulling away and driving into the distance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OH MY GOODNESS! I'm ALIVE! sorry for the break there but we are BACK on our every other week schedule! Thanks to everyone who stuck with me through it (again I'm so sorry for missing it) Summer's here so I'll be free to write to my heart's content!
> 
> Is it just me or did the style change during the four weeks I was away? I think it has? 
> 
> Again a massive thank you to Electragoob and Andelynk who betad for me, and a huge shoutout to Zeldasdiaries for being so supportive and sending my pictures of dogs to inspire me. 
> 
> If you want to get news on updates for Puppy Love and other projects I'm working on hmu at Tumblr under the same name xxx See you in two weeks


	6. The Heart to Heart

It had been six days, eighteen hours, thirty seven minutes, twenty six seconds and counting since Zelda had left Ordon. Not that Link was keeping track or anything. 

In those six days Link had thrown himself into his work. He’d visited the ranch several times to check on the newborn kids, fought with a particularly fractious cat in order to insert an IV catheter, reluctantly listened to a man’s own heartbeat when he informed him that his dog had a similar heart murmur, consoled a woman who was upset that her duck couldn’t swim (despite the fact that it was a cucco and perfectly healthy), and solved the mystery of one feline friend’s disappearing waste (turns out it was relieving itself in the garage). To say he was exhausted would be an understatement. His only comfort was that, at the end of the day, he could collapse in his bed and sleep until dawn. 

So it was surprising that he had given that up in favour of peeling potatoes in Rusl’s kitchen. 

To be fair, it wasn’t as if he could just leave. It was a longstanding tradition. Every other week he, Rusl, and Ilia would meet up and have a nice home cooked meal together. This time it was the turn of the elder man to host, and for some reason he had requested that Link be charge of potatoes. It was his job to peel and slice the root vegetables incredibly thin, Ilia had been given the easier job of working with the cucco, and Rusl had the hardest job of all, keeping his rambunctious toddler out of the kitchen while his eleven year old son focused on homework. 

Link couldn’t say that he envied him. He envied Ilia. The cucco was far more complicated to prepare than the “dauphinoise potatoes” Uli had requested. All he had to do was cut and peel potatoes, tasks which required very little concentration, giving his mind ample time to fixate on a certain brunette and her stunning blue eyes. 

It had been six days, eighteen hours, forty five minutes, twelve seconds and counting since she’d left Ordon, and Link could still hear her parting words, sharp in their formality, cutting through him like a knife. 

_Goodbye, Doctor Wolfe_

“Uhh, Link?”   
Ilia’s soft voice pulled him from his reverie. He turned quickly to face her, blue eyes catching on emerald green. Mischief seemed to burrow in the corner of her lips as she held back a giggle. “I think that potato is fully peeled, don’t you?” 

Fighting back the slight confusion at her words, he looked down to the vegetable in his hands. There was a large sloping dent in the side where he’d been relentlessly going over it with the peeler, Potato shavings were all over the cutting board in front of him, and starch coated his fingers and palms. Dropping the peeler on the countertop and the potato in a pile with the others, he turned back to face Ilia. 

“Here,” she sighed, handing him a clean kitchen towel from the drawer. He nodded sheepishly in thanks, wiping his hands on the rough towelling before returning to his work. He could hear Ilia moving around behind him, her gentle footsteps echoing like thunder in the silent room. She seemed… frustrated about something, but he couldn’t put his finger on what. He was about to ask her what her issue was when she landed against the countertop beside him. 

“You’re going real slow,” She sighed, an overdramatic tone curling over her breath. He fought back his own smile at her act.

“Don’t you got a cucco you need to prepare or something?” 

“Cucco’s all done. I’m just waiting on you and your potatoes.” 

“Well,” Link gestured lamely to the cutlery drawer behind him. “Get a knife and start cutting ‘em up if I’m so slow.” 

Ilia pushed herself away from the counter, the sound of forks and spoons clattering against each other filling the air in her absence. Link knew she was trying to make as much noise as she could. He was always the more quiet of the two, prefering to let Ilia do most of the talking, but even he knew that he’d been a little quieter than normal recently. Ilia appeared beside him once more. She gave him a slight nudge with her elbow, wordlessly asking him to move along a little before beginning her new task. 

The two continued to work silently, the quiet hanging heavy in the air. Beside him he could sense Ilia getting more and more wound up, tension seeping into her shoulders, her back going ramrod straight. Glancing at her out of the corner of his eye, he could see her chew on her lip before dropping her knife. 

“Are you gonna tell me what’s bothering you or do I have to play a guessing game to find out?” She blurted, cheeks immediately going red in a blush. Link felt himself stop in his own task, the peeler falling from his hand to clatter against the counter. 

“What?” he breathed. “Ilia... I’m not… There’s nothing-” She cut him off with a raised hand, her shoulders dropping. She looked as exhausted as he felt. 

“You’ve been acting off all week,” She started. “You’ve been quiet, more so than usual. You’ve been throwing yourself into your work, sleeping as soon as you get home.” She seemed to get smaller, her body folding in on itself as she lost the strength to stand. “It ain’t healthy Link. I’m just… I’d understand if you don’t want me prying into your business, but… I’m worried about you. What is it? What’s going on?”

“Ilia it’s… I’m fine” 

He wasn’t fine. He was the furthest from fine that he’d ever been, and that was saying something. He was distinctly “Not Fine”. If you were to look up the definition of the word “Fine” in the dictionary you would find, written below in small print, “The very opposite of Doctor Link Wolfe”. It had been a week and he was still wallowing in his sorrows! Sorrows that he wasn’t even sure he deserved to wallow in. _So what!_ He wanted to cry, _You didn’t get to take Zelda out for coffee boo hoo. It’s not like she would have wanted to go out with you anyway._

“I’m not fine.” 

“I gathered.” Ilia rested a hand against his shoulder, her thumb brushing against his collar bone. She looked ready to launch into a motivational speech, to start telling him that everything was going to be alright, that happiness was just around the corner, and whatever other saccharine phrases she could think of. But instead she simply squeezed his shoulder and fixed him with a sympathetic yet knowing look. “Zelda?” 

“That’s so crazy, how did you guess?” He snarked hearing Ilia laugh beside him. 

“Well, short of you doodling her name in your notebook, you’ve been sighing like a school kid with a crush for weeks.” She wrapped her arm around his shoulders, pulling him against her side. “Everyone was waiting on you to ask her out. What happened with that?” 

“I didn’t ask her out,” He muttered, eyes fixing on the potatoes in front of him. They still needed slicing. 

“You didn’t? what?” Ilia gasped, the sound far too loud for his sensitive ears. “Why not?” 

“Because, Ilia,” He pulled away from her, craning his head back to try and protect what was left of his hearing. “I never got the chance to! And now I probably never will.” 

Ilia put her hands on her hips, fixing him with a confused look. A manicured eyebrow raised slightly as she tilted her head to the side. “I thought you had plenty of chances,” She said, words slow as if she was trying to figure out a difficult puzzle. “You were at her house often enough.” 

“That’s different,” he defended, roughly picking up the vegetable he’d abandoned. “I couldn’t ask her out when I was at work. What if she’d said no? Then the whole thing would have been awkward, not to mention creepy.” 

“How would it have been creepy?” Ilia asked, trying to focus on her own potatoes. 

“It just would have been! Like… imagine you had a dog and you loved it with all your heart. Then you thought the dog got sick and you called the vet and they just flirted with you and asked you out! It’d be weird,” Link roughly peeled the potato in his hand, slamming it down on the chopping board when he was done. 

Ilia was silent for a moment, the only sound was the gentle slicing of potatoes. Link was convinced that she’d dropped it, that she was done questioning him about his failed attempts at romance with Zelda Freaking Harkinian, and that she was happy to just focus on the, frankly ridiculous, Dauphinoise potatoes. And then she spoke, her voice soft and full of an innocent and genuine curiosity. 

“What about the park?” 

Link fought back a cringe. The park. Oh man, the park. He’d not expected to run into Zelda when he’d gone for a walk. But then Naru found him and he couldn’t just ignore her! What kind of vet would he be if he didn’t return the husky back to her owner? And then Zelda had let him stay and she’d talked to him and he’d had a really, _really_ great time. He’d been so close to asking her out and then…

“What about the park?” He tried not to sound angry as he reached for a knife to help Ilia with her potato slicing. 

“Well, that would have been a great time to ask her out,” She explained, her eyes not straying from the food in her hand. “You weren’t technically on duty so it wouldn’t have been…creepy.” 

Link brought the knife down on the potato with a little more force than was necessary. The park _would_ have been the perfect place to ask her out, or at least get her number. There was no threat of imminent danger, no awkward work talk, just two adults and a husky in the sunshine. Two, single, adults. Two adults who weren’t in romantic relationships and- why didn’t he just ask her out?!

“I was going to,” he defended, hitting the knife against the chopping board. “Then _someone_ called me about a Goat and I had to leave.” 

Ilia at least had the grace to look sheepish. “It’s not _my_ fault! How was I supposed to know you were busy wooing Miss Harkinian?” she reached for a new potato, stifling the giggle that threatened to rise as Link’s ears turned scarlet. “You still had enough time to ask for her number before you left.” 

Enough time, Link decided, was a matter of situation. It was relative. If you had ten minutes you had “enough time” to make instant ramen, but you didn’t have “enough time” to eat it. And that’s not even taking into account the amount of time needed to boil the water or get the cutlery out. Even if the packet says “ten minutes” it takes a lot longer than that to accomplish the task to a high standard. Do you have time to make and eat half cooked noodles in ten minutes? Yes, but why would you? 

He would admit that, theoretically, he had had “enough time” to ask Zelda for her phone number before he left. It would have been easy to say, “Hey let me get them digits real quick,” before running off, but would it have been successful? No one wants to eat half cooked ramen, and _no one_ wants to get rejected when asking for someone’s number (especially if that person is Zelda Harkinian!) He may have had “enough time” to ask but would he have had “enough time” to get a positive answer? 

His head hurt. 

Scooping up the potato slices into a bowl, he pointedly refused to look at Ilia. She was waiting for his response, for him to either agree or disagree with her. Link wondered if he had “enough time” to get her to drop the conversation before Rusl came back. 

“I didn’t ask for her number,” he muttered, taking his chopping board over to the sink to rinse it. “She asked for mine.” 

It probably wasn’t the best thing to say to get Ilia to drop the conversation, but he wasn’t going to deny that it was worth it to hear her excited cry of “NO WAY! REALLY?!” ring out through the kitchen. 

“Don’t get too excited,” he warned grabbing the kitchen towel to dry his hands off. “She only wanted my work number. Y’'know, for emergencies” 

Ilia seemed to deflate at his words, shoulders sagging as she let out a mournful sigh. He wasn’t so sure what she had to be upset about, he was the one who almost made a fool of himself in front of the girl he liked (the girl he liked, goodness how childish could he sound?) 

“I guess that makes sense,” Ilia muttered to herself as she lined a gratin dish with the potato slices. Link took a step back to let her work, she was better at organising things neatly than he’d ever be, and while the dish would probably taste the same no matter what he still didn’t want to serve Uli and Rusl ugly looking food. “She’s a busy lady, makes sense she’d want to just be able to call up when somethings wrong and…” She froze, potato in hand. Link could see her eyes flicker as she tried to work something out, her eyebrows drawing together in confusion. “That ain’t right.” 

“What ain’t right?” he asked, leaning against the counter near the sink. Ilia seemed to be still working it out, potatoes and seasoning left abandoned in front of her. 

“Well,” she started. “You said she asked for your work number right?” 

“Right” 

“Okay,” Ilia turned, leaning against the counter to face him. She crossed her arms over her chest, her mouth set in a determined frown. “Did she know that you don’t have a personalised work number? That you just use the surgery’s number?” 

Link shrugged. How was he supposed to know what Zelda knew and what she didn’t know? It wasn’t like he’d interrogated her at the park for information or anything. ”I guess” was the best answer he could come up with. “I mean… if she’s called the surgery before, then she’s seen the website and knows I just use the number on there… why are you looking at me like that?” 

Ilia’s grin had returned. A marvelous, wonderful, grin that Link was normally in love with… when it wasn’t directed at him. She looked like she was about to burst into laughter or a childish _“I told you so”_ song at the first chance she got. It scared him. 

“Say that last part again,” She prompted pulling her bottom lip between her teeth. 

“If she’s called the surgery before then she’s… oh,” realization hit him like a pile of bricks, knocking him down and pinning him to the kitchen floor. _Zelda’s called the surgery before, she has the number. She wasn’t asking for my work number was she?_ “Oh shit.” 

Link heard a loud gasp almost drowned out by the sound of an eleven year old giggling. Turning sharply he saw Rusl enter the room, a disapproving look on his face as he carried his son over his shoulder. Colin, for his part, was laughing so loud that his cheeks had gone pink. 

“Language,” he chided, dropping Colin to the floor “we got little ones in the house, Link” 

“I’m sorry,” Link muttered, a hand coming up to rub the back of his neck. Ilia stifled her own laughter behind her palm, ignoring the annoyed look Link shot her way as she went back to work on layering the potatoes in the dish. “I didn’t see you there.” 

“It’s alright,” Rusl sighed, moving to put the cucco in the oven. “Just watch out next time.” He clapped Link on the shoulder, giving him a quick squeeze as he moved around him to the cutlery drawer. “How are those potatoes coming?” 

“Great, thanks to me,” Ilia smirked, walking over to the fridge to get the cream. Link stuck his tongue out at her as she went past. 

“I had it,” He pouted. “I’d have been done by now if it wasn’t for you” 

“You’d still be peeling the same potato if it wasn’t for me,” She said as she slammed the door to fridge shut. Rusl gave her a warning look as he handed the cutlery to Colin. “He was too busy pining over his crush,” she explained unable to hold back the shit eating grin that curled over her lips. 

“Link’s got a crush?!” Colin exclaimed, pausing in his task of laying the table. His pale blue eyes lit up with mischief and Link felt his blood run cold at the sight. _Middle Schoolers,_ he thought watching Colin’s grin grow with every passing second. _They can smell weakness._

“I don’t have a crush!” He lied, feeling like a petulant child as he crossed his arms in a huff. Beside him Rusl let out a bellowing laugh, a hand coming around to hit him squarely between the shoulderblades. 

“Who is she, son?” He asked through his chuckles. 

“No one!” Link cried “There isn’t anyone...I don’t… I’m not-”

“It’s Miss Harkinian!” Ilia piped up, a musical giggle leaving her lips. Link endured another rough shoulder pat from Rusl. Colin looked confused as he continued setting the table. “She asked for his number,” Ilia continued practically bouncing on her heels. “Tell him what happened, Link” 

Link’s blood turned to ice at her words, freezing solid in his veins. Rusl was looking at him expectantly, the once comforting hand on his back now pushing him head first into an awkward situation. He wanted to avoid this, wanted to run and hide but he was sure that the three of them would find him in a heartbeat. 

“What happened, Link?” Rusl asked giving him another less than gentle pat to his spine. 

Link looked around the room, eyes darting from Ilia to Rusl to Colin. Each of them stared back at him, waiting for him to say something, anything! They reminded him of a pack of wolves on the hunt. Bloodthirsty and ruthless. 

“I...I gave...She asked…” He felt his throat dry up, his palms getting sweaty as he clenched his fists. This wasn’t going to be fun, but it would be better to bite the bullet now… wouldn’t it? 

“I wanna preface this by saying that she asked for my number in case of an emergency! So before y’all try to make fun of me, just know that I was only doing what she asked.” He swallowed down the lump in his throat, rolling his shoulders back and bracing himself for the incoming onslaught of teasing. “I gave her my business card.” 

“Well,” Rusl said, drawing out the word agonisingly slowly. A smirk hid in the corner of his lips, just barely visible as he spoke. “That seems like the right thing to do if she’s asking for your professional number.” The smirk grew larger, the light of it shining in his eyes. “ _Was_ she asking for your professional number?” 

_There it is,_ Link thought, _The question I’ve been asking myself for the past week._

“Yes,” He replied automatically, fixing his gaze on the kitchen floor, his eyes trailing over the grooves between the tiles. It really needed to be swept, perhaps he should do that after dinner to save Uli a job. 

“Are you sure?” Colin piped up. He’d seated himself at the head of the table, elbows resting on either side of his plate. He looked innocent enough, all pale blonde hair and baby blue eyes, his chin resting on his open palms while he kicked his legs below the table. A cunning facade, no doubt. But Link knew too much, he’d grown up with him. 

“I’m… I’m pretty sure, Colin,” he sighed. He wasn’t sure, far from it. He kept replaying the moment in his head over and over. She’d paused. Zelda had definitely paused. She’d left a space between asking for his number and clarifying that it would only be used in an emergency… had she?… had he?... No. No, it couldn’t be. 

“Are you sure you’re sure?” Colin said, matching his father’s smirk. It was a look Link had seen fairly often in the past eleven years. _Gotcha._

“Miss Harkinian’s called the surgery before,” Ilia sounded wistful as she carried the potatoes over to the oven. “That’s the one thing that’s confusing me” 

“Oh yeah,” Rusl crooned, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “That is confusing.” 

Link could feel his father figure stare at him, the smirk no longer hidden as it curled proudly over his lips. “I wonder why she’d need a number she already has?... unless-”

“Alright, I get it!” Link cut in, already exhausted from repeating the conversation with Zelda over and over again in his own head. “I messed up, I had a chance, maybe, and I blew it.” 

It hurt to admit it outloud. He’d thought it countless time over the past week, but he’s always followed it up with, _It’s not like she was interested in me anyway._ It hadn’t made him feel better about the situation but it certainly hadn’t made him feel worse. 

But this! The idea that she liked him back, that she wanted him as much as he wanted her, and that he blew it for the both of them. Well, that stung. 

Rusl pulled him into a hug, resting his chin on the crown of Link’s head. “You didn’t mess it up” he said, the smirk in his voice replaced with a genuine, if bittersweet, smile. “There’s always a chance you’ll see her again.” 

_Now that would be something,_ Link thought as he let himself get pulled into the embrace. A heavy sigh escaping him as he rested his forehead on Rusl’s shoulder. “Shiiiit” a sardonic laugh passed his lips. “There’s always a chance” 

“Come on what did I say?” Rusl sighed, his own laugh bubbling up. “Little ears are present” 

“Oh it’s okay I’ve heard worse,” Colin called from the table causing Ilia to erupt in giggles and snorts. 

“From who!?” 

“From Talo. He knows a lot of bad words.” He sounded almost impressed as he leaned back in the chair, balancing it on it’s back legs. Ilia gave him a slight reprimanding look causing him to pull his seat back into the upright position. 

Reluctantly, Rusl pulled away from the hug, giving Link another pat on the shoulder as he did so. “I’ll have to have a talk with Jaggle,” he sighed running a hand down his cheek as he turned to his youngest son.` “Go get your mother, let her know dinner will be ready soon.” The three of them watched as Colin raced off, the sound of his footsteps dimming as he ran through the house on his quest. 

They rested in near silence for a moment. The only sound was the gentle hum of the oven as their dinner cooked. It was peaceful, calm. The perfect respite after a week of stress and shouting and heartbreak and loss. If Link closed his eyes he could imagine that he was standing in the past, back before he’d ever heard of Zelda Harkinian, back before he’d fallen for her, and back before he’d lost her. He could imagine, for a second, that the ache in his chest wasn’t there, and that it was just another family dinner. 

“I meant what I said,” Rusl spoke, voice low as if to preserve the calm that had settled. “There’s always a chance Link. Don’t give up hope just yet.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Actually hyped for this chapter? What happened I got super excited for it! Looks like I'm getting back into my flow at last! Really quite proud at how it turned out and a massive thankyou once again to Electragoob and Andelynk on Tumblr for helping me out, and Zeldasdiaries/Missdellarosa also on tumblr for being incredibly supportive and wonderful <3 
> 
> And that's to you all who are sticking with me through this! 
> 
> We've got one more chapter and then it's the epilogue


	7. The Reunion

Days at the surgery were, in a word, tedious. Depending on the time the building could be flooded with a never ending stream of patients. Cats, dogs, mice, hamsters, birds, gerbils, even reptiles were all frequent visitors to the small country clinic. And as such this made work very difficult for the small team of veterinarians who worked there. Some days it would a be a challenge to get everyone seen and make it through the day without cat scratches or pecks from annoyed parrots. 

And then you had some days where it seemed like nothing happened, like the goddesses had met up for tea and decided that,“No, Ordon shall not face any great medical disaster with its animals today,” and given everyone the day off. Days where the only people to enter the building were delivery men and staff returning from their lunch break. 

Link hated the quiet days. 

He’d never normally hated them. Sure, he used to get a little restless with nothing to do, but he’d never go so far as to say he _hated_ them. Mild dislike yes, but never hate.

But then, he supposed, he’d never normally had the need to distract himself as much. 

Every free second was spent thinking about _Her_. The way she walked, the way she talked, the perfect curl of her smile, the dazzling blue of her eyes! He’d half expected himself to be over her by now. Iit had been four months since Zelda Harkinian was last in town, and yet his every waking moment was devoted to wondering about her, and wondering if she was thinking about him too. 

He wanted to blame Rusl. The elder vet had put that ridiculous mantra in his head, _There’s always a chance_ , even if that chance grew less and less with each turn of the minute hand that he was currently staring at. 

Link was sitting in the waiting room, his white coat thrown over one of the chairs as he fixed his eye on the clock. The monotonous ticking marked the slow march of the day. _Half past four, only three and a half hours left to go._ In the corner of the room Ilia sat at her desk, methodically reading through her coursework, the sound of paper turning breezed through the air in rhythm with the never ending thud of the clock. It would have been almost peaceful if it hadn’t been so warm. 

“I thought you had a summer break?” Link asked, his voice shattering the fragile silence of the waiting room. He watched Ilia jump, accidentally flinging her pen up in the air. She scrambled to try and catch it, wincing as it hit of the rim of her mug and fell to the floor. 

“I do,” she huffed, leaning down to rescue her pen. “But there’s nothing wrong with trying to keep my mind sharp. Better than just sitting around in this heat” 

Summers in Ordon were known for their warmth. A damp humid air from Faron rolling across the winds, only made worse by the unrelenting sun up above. The storms offered little respite from the omnipresent heat, only really clearing the air for a day or two until the Faron winds choked them once more. 

“I don’t know how you can concentrate,” he muttered, tugging at the collar of his shirt. He’d already unbuttoned the top two buttons, unbuttoning the third would just make him look silly. Well… sillier than he already did. The heat had no doubt turned his cheeks and ears bright pink. 

“I can’t,” Ilia sighed. A soft thud indicated that she’d shut her book, apparently giving up on studying for the time being. Link would have laughed if he didn’t feel so lethargic, doing nothing was exhausting. _At least I don’t live in Gerudo,_ he thought as he wiped a hand across his brow, _I don’t think I could handle this kinda heat all year round._ The Gerudo desert would be unbearable right now, but maybe Castleton would be better. 

He wondered how hot it got in Castleton. Would the pavements sizzle? Would the smell of exhaust hang heavy in the air? Would people flock to the park in their lunch breaks? Would Zelda’s office have functioning AC? 

Zelda… how was she dealing with the summer heat? 

Tipping his head back to stare at the ceiling, Link let out a mournful sigh, all air leaving his lungs in a defeated rush. He was doing it again, thinking about her. He needed to stop otherwise he was going to drive himself mad. Zelda was gone and there was nothing he could do to change that. 

“What’cha thinkin bout?” Ilia mumbled, her voice pulling him from his thoughts. He turned his head to look at her, taking in the way she slumped over the desk, her cheek resting in her palm while she fanned herself with a pamphlet on, what looked like, deworming cats and dogs. 

“Nothin,” he lied, eyes turning back to the clock on the wall. _Four fortyfive. How has it only been fifteen minutes?_

“You’re not thinking about Zelda again are you?” Ilia sighed softly, the arm holding her makeshift fan landing against the desk. She looked as tired as he felt, shoulders sagging and eyes drooping. Even the curl of her hair seemed to have given up the ghost as it hung against her neck. 

“Why would I be thinking about Zelda?” he scoffed, trying not to choke on his sarcasm. 

“Because you’ve got the biggest crush on her in the history of Hyrule,” Ilia huffed. It wasn’t a secret. At this point practically everyone in Ordon knew of Link’s feelings towards the brunette heiress. They’d all agreed it was a damn shame to see him so heartsick, some even going as far as to call it cruel. Link disagreed with that; afterall, it wasn’t Zelda’s fault that he’d fallen for her as hard as he had. “Honestly Link...it’s been months. I don’t th-”

“I know,” He cut in, wincing at the acid in his tone. “I’m sorry, Ilia… I just… I know it’s been ...I can’t stop wondering...” _Where would I be if she’d never left?_

Ilia pushed herself back in her chair, her bottom lip pulled between her teeth. “I know,” she sighed, fingers tugging at the hem of her T-shirt. “I know, Link, I do. But maybe it is time to move on. Get out there, meet someone new” 

Link sighed. She was only trying to help, he knew that, but the idea of going out and trying to find someone else to fall for… it all felt rather empty. Though he couldn’t bring himself to admit this to Ila. He saw the way she looked at him, worry causing her shoulders to go tense, a false smile always plastered to her lips. She just wanted him to be happy. 

Closing his eyes, Link let his head fall back against the chair. All energy leaving from his body with a deep and tired sigh. “Maybe it is,” he murmured, trying not to notice how heavy Ilia’s silence felt now. 

Quiet filled the air once more, the repeated ticking of the clock seeping into the spaces left by the absence of conversation. Outside the sun beat down against the dried earth filling the room with a blazing heat. Not for the first time that day, Link wondered if this was what the evil realm was like. 

His wondering was halted when Ilia gave a loud sigh from across the room, throwing her makeshift fan at the desk with a ferocity that he’d never seen from her before. “How does Rusl do it?!” She cried, red faced from exertion. 

Rusl was one of the lucky few who rarely seemed affected by the heat. Every year the Faron winds would blow and every year the elder vet appeared to ignore them. It was one of the great unsolved mysteries in the surgery as to how he managed to accomplish such a feat (along with “who’s sandwich is that in the fridge?” and “why are there never any gummy worms in the vending machine”) Link’s money was on the theory that Rusl was part Goron and was therefore used to the heat, Ilia didn’t seem to agree. 

“You know my theory,” he sighed running a hand through his hair. 

Ilia ignored him, pushing herself away from the desk. “I’m gonna go find a fan,” she declared “Watch the desk for me? I doubt anyone’s gonna show up but, y'know, just in case.” 

Link gave a small nod of his head, watching as Ilia fled down the staff corridor. With a sigh he pushed himself from his seat, grimacing at the feel of sweat rolling down his spine. 

The desk was placed right in front of the door, open and vulnerable to the blistering sun. _No wonder Ilia was so uncomfortable_ , he thought reaching a hand up to tug at his collar. It was much warmer in this part of the room. He hoped she’d be back soon as he dropped into her chair, he didn’t think he could stand sitting in the sun for too long. 

_Now I just need to find something to do._

There was only three hours left of work and Link doubted that anyone would show up in that time. Five pm wasn’t exactly their most active hour at the best of times, let alone on days where nothing happened. Running a hand through his hair, Link searched the desk for something to do. It would be better to keep busy he reasoned as he rifled through the drawers, maybe he’d find something interesting? 

His heart sank at the sight of paper, bills, and a bag of hard candy that had gone sticky. Nothing he could use to entertain himself! Well… he could make a paper airplane? It had been years since he’d last made one but he was sure he could figure it out if he had enough time. But then again… Ilia probably needed the paper for something, he couldn’t just use it all up without asking. 

Resigned to boredom, Link gave the drawer a sharp kick. It made an almighty thud as it collided with the desk, slamming shut and then opening again from the force. He could feel his frustration grow the longer he sat in the sun. It seemed that everything was going wrong, he couldn’t even kick a drawer back into place without having that backfire! 

Link debated just leaving the drawer open. If it didn’t want to close that wasn’t his problem, and there was no way he was going to lower himself to the level of disobedient furniture! He wasn’t going to fight with a desk, he was not! He refused! Why should he get down on his knees to close a stubborn drawer when a kick would have sufficed? It was unnatural, the desk was getting ideas above its station if it thought it could treat him this way. 

_I’m going mad,_ he thought sliding to his knees under the desk. He pulled the drawer open fully to inspect it, frowning at the sight of the sticky candies littered against the bills and papers. Suddenly every complaint Ilia had ever made about ants made sense, if this was how she stored her sweets no wonder she was popular with the insects. Swallowing his discomfort, Link began sweeping the candies back into their bag. He really needed to have a word with Ilia about how she organised her desk drawers. 

“Hello?” A voice called out, musical, romantic, and achingly familiar. “Is there anyone there?”

Link jumped, electricity arcing through his body with every word that passed the strangers lips. Power charged through his legs and he rushed to stand up, the stubborn drawer and the disgusting candy all but forgotten to his frantic mind. Pushing himself upwards with all his might, Link tried to hold back a yelp as his head cracked against the underside of the desk. 

_Smooth one, Wolfe,_ he thought, a hand pressed against the steadily growing lump on his scalp, his eyes shut tight at the pain. From the otherside of the desk he heard the voice again, beautiful and soft and tainted with worry. “Oh my goodness! Are you alright?” 

“Yeah,” Link breathed, standing up slowly this time to preserve his remaining brain cells. “My dignity took the worst blow.” 

The laugh that followed was nothing less than magic, a pure symphony. Wonderful lilting notes hung in the air around him as he straightened, soothing his injuries and his pride. He could listen to that laugh all day and never get tired of it. He eased his eyes open, trying to find the source of such an enchanting giggle, and his heart stopped. 

He knew the voice was familiar, why it caused such a powerful reaction in him. He’d heard it before, he’d listened to it in his dreams, he’d spent months replaying the last words she’d ever said to him. He’d recognize her voice anywhere. 

She stood in front of him, brown hair piled in a messy bun at the back of her head, her face and neck flushed pink with the summer heat. At her side sat a large husky. 

Zelda was back. 

“H-hi,” he gasped, suddenly lost for breath. It felt like all the air in the world had vanished, leaving him floundering like a fish out of water. 

“Hi,” she sighed, a heart stopping smile curling over her lips. Screw suffocating, he felt like he was drowning! This couldn’t be real, there was no way! The heat had finally gotten to him, he’d hit his head to hard, he’d fallen asleep and this was all just a dream. 

“How have you been, Link?” She asked and he wanted to faint. She was here, right in front of him! 

“Swell,” he lied. “Just...great.” He could feel his cheeks begin to ache from how wide he was smiling. “A-and you? How’ve you been?”

“I’ve been good,” She said, nodding a little too enthusiastically. “Busy...work’s been a little frantic” 

“Yeah,” he breathed lamely. Why was it so difficult to talk around her? She was just a person it shouldn’t be so hard to just open his mouth and make conversation like a normal person! _Comeon, Link. Think! get back on track._ “What uhh..what brings you here? Is Naru okay? What’s up?” _Perfect._

“Oh! No, she’s...she’s fine.” Zelda started, her eyes flashing quickly to the Husky at her feet. Naru sat on the ground, her tongue lolling out of her mouth as she panted through the heat. “She’s good there’s nothing wrong with her. I just thought that...it’d be a good idea to get her checked over just in case. I mean what with the… heat…” Zelda trailed off, lifting a hand to pull at the messy bun at the back of her neck. She looked… nervous? “I-I can come back later if now’s not a good time”

Link gave the room a quick glance. He took in the still chairs resting in the sunshine, the gentle and never ending tick-tocking of the clock, the fine dust motes floating in the air around them illuminated only briefly before fading away again. It was utterly devoid of life, save for the three of them. Ilia hadn’t even returned yet. 

“Now’s fine,” He practically cried as he moved away from behind the desk. “Now’s a great time. Examination room three is open, I’ll take you in there…” The double entendre fell from his lips _I’ll take you in examination room three, come on, Link be subtle at least!_ “I didn’t mean like… I’ll just show you the way” 

Link wasn’t sure but he thought he saw a blush rise across Zelda’s cheeks, the already pink skin turning rosy as he moved past her towards the chairs to collect his coat. He’d rather not wear it in such warm weather, but it was always best to appear professional. Biting back a grimace he tugged it over his shoulders before ushering Zelda towards the small examination room. 

Pushing open the door Link revealed the modest space. A long metal table took up most of the room, behind it sat a series of cabinets, the tops littered with jars filled with cotton and boxes of latex gloves. A small sink sat at the furthest end from the door, a small trash can placed beneath it. An old computer sat in the corner, it’s screen lighting up as Link pushed at keys to wake it up. With one hand he directed Zelda to sit in the only chair in the room whilst he pulled up a small plastic stool. 

“Right, so, just a couple of routine questions,” He started, pulling up Naru’s medical charts. 

“Lay them on me,” Zelda smirked, making herself comfortable in her seat. Naru curled around her legs, the strange and unfamiliar environment making her feel anxious.

“Have there been any changes to her eating or drinking habits?” 

“No.”

“Good, any weight gain or-” 

A sharp howl cut through the air, halting Link in his tracks. He saw Zelda flash him an apologetic look as she reached down to try and calm the animal. “I’m sorry, I know it’s impolite but I gotta ask,” Link continued, earning a smile from Zelda that made his chest feel tight. Ignoring the feeling he asked again, “Any weight gain or loss?” 

“No,” she giggled, her hand scratching behind Naru’s ears.

“She up to date on her vaccines?” 

“Yes, she got her boosters just last month.” 

“Any coughing or Diarrhea?” 

“No, thank goodness.” 

“Balance issues?”

“Steady as a rock.” 

“Excellent, let’s get her up on the table.” 

Naru was not a fan of being lifted it seemed as Link wrapped his arms under her. She squirmed in his grasp, letting out another howl as she did so. Zelda stood to the side, muttering apologies and assurances that _normally she’s much more well behaved_ , offering a hand to help calm or distract the wriggling canine. Eventually the two got her on the table, Naru letting out an indignant whine as her claws made contact with the cool steel surface. 

Link began with checking her vitals, starting with her pulse and respiration rate before moving onto her temperature (and apologising profusely while he did so) all the while rolling back and forth on his stool between the computer and Naru. 

“Vital signs are good,” he murmured half to himself as he stared at the screen. He could hear Zelda behind him blow kisses to her furry friend, the mental image causing him to smile. How was it that she was able to make him feel so happy with the simplest of actions? 

Rolling back to the husky, Link started to conduct his physical examination. Naru seemed calmer than she had before, probably soothed by Zelda’s kisses and pats. He watched as she tilted her chin skyward, bright blue eyes sliding shut in pleasure as Zelda scratched at her neck, her tail creating a steady drumbeat against the table. 

“I take it she ain’t a huge fan of vets,” he joked, reaching his own hands forward to press against Naru’s abdomen. 

“Just the examination rooms,” Zelda confirmed as she pulled her hands back to her lap. “This is the fastest I’ve gotten her to calm down though, there must be something in the room that’s putting her at ease.” 

“Could be the wallpaper?” Link snorted jerking his head towards the garish blue and green diagonal stripes that decorated the room. Zelda rolled her eyes at him but she laughed, rewarding him with another heart stopping smile. 

Swallowing he turned back to the task at hand. Pulling a stethoscope from the wall behind him, he began listening to Naru’s heart and breathing. She gave a quick twitch at the feel of cold metal against her ribs, blue eyes snapping open to glare at him silently. shrugging his shoulders in a half hearted apology, Link couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled up at his throat. 

Across from him, Zelda sat back in her chair. She’d taken the messy bun out of her hair, running through the strands with her fingers to tidy them. Naru’s check up was forgotten as he watched her, nimble fingers pulling the hair into a perfect plait, a serene expression on her face. 

He knew he’d missed her, the entirety of Ordon knew that he’d missed her! He’d thought about nothing but her for the past four months, just praying he’d get the chance to see her one last time. Having her here, now, in front of him, he hadn’t realized how desperate he’d been for that prayer to be answered.

“It’s nice to see you again,” he said, so quiet he wasn’t even sure that he’d said the words out loud. Zelda’s eyes turned towards him, the beginnings of a blush painting her cheeks and ears a light pink. 

“Well…” she swallowed, hands dropping to her lap. He watched as she clutched at the fabric of her skirt, her knuckles going a bright white. She tilted her head towards Naru on the table. “She missed you”

“I wasn’t talking to the dog.” 

Zelda's eyes grew wide, cheeks turning scarlet and lips parting in a quiet, surprised gasp as she lifted her eyes to his. All air seemed to rush from her lungs and for a moment Link was scared that she was going to faint or curse him out. But instead she seemed to gather herself, eyelashes fluttering as she searched for something to focus on that wasn’t him. Her tongue darted out to wet her lips and Link felt his chest grow hot. 

“It’s nice to see you again too,” She’d gone bright red, her nerves masterfully hidden as she gazed up at him through her lashes. The room seemed to grow warmer but he couldn’t bring himself to care, her words were echoing around his head like the chimes of a cymbal. Maybe… just maybe, she’d missed him as much as had missed her?

Naru’s sharp, annoyed, howl wrang through the air, shattering the moment and drawing his attention back to her and the stethoscope still pressed against her ribs. Fighting back the rising flush of embarrassment he felt at being called out by a husky, Link quickly returned to his work as he examined her eyes, teeth, and ears. Once he was satisfied that she was alright, Link pulled his stool over the computer.

“Naru looks fine,” he murmured, hands moving across the keys. “She’s recovered well from that cold she had a couple months back, so that’s good. As for dealing with the heat I’d recommend just brushing her a whole lot to get rid of any excess fur, but don’t trim her. Also, if you’ve got a pond in your garden she might like to swim in that to keep cool? A kiddie pool would also work. I actually knew a guy who’d freeze fruit for his dog so she could play with it. Just took an old ice cream tub and filled with water with an apple in it” 

“Thank you,Link - uh Doctor Wolfe.” He watched, out of the corner of his eye, as she showered Naru with affection. Pressing loving kisses against her forehead and gentle scratches under her chin and ears. 

“Just doing my job,” he sighed, as he shut the computer down. She turned to him, something shining in her royal blue eyes that made him weak at the knees. It really was good to see her again. “I’ll walk you back to the desk.” 

<><><>

The lowering sun cast a deep orange light over the waiting room. Tall shadows of the trees outside curled over the room through the windows like the cracks in a vase. The clock continued it’s resolute march and somewhere nearby an electric fan whirred, pulling and pushing the heavy air around the space. 

“How long have you been back in Ordon?” Link asked, holding the door open for Zelda and Naru to walk past. Her perfume tickled his nose as she got close, lingering in the back of his throat. The scent of fresh roses following in the air after her. 

“Not long, I just got back really,” she said, pulling her braid over her shoulder. “I’ve not even been up to the estate yet, I just... came straight here.” 

“Worried about Naru?” 

“No...I…” She trailed off, a hand coming up to tug on her braid, a nervous smile curling over her lips. “I just wanted to come here first” 

It was impossible to hold back the goofy, idiotic, grin that plastered itself across his face. Even the most miserable of people would have failed when faced with the knowledge that Zelda Harkinian had wanted to get to the surgery before anything else. He’d managed to compose himself earlier when she had said that it was nice to see him again, but she was quickly breaking down his defences. He’d be a dribbling pile of nerves by the time she left and all she had to do was smile at him!

Turning towards the desk, in an attempt to at least hide his grin, Link began drawing up her bill. The fan that Ilia had placed on the desk only worked to increase his discomfort, blowing hot air directly into his face as he tried to work. The secretary herself, however, was nowhere to be seen. A small yellow note stuck to the computer monitor was the only clue to her whereabouts. 

_Uli’s stuck at the bakery, Rusl’s at the ranch. I had to take Colin to cricket club, desk is all yours._  
_-Ilia x_  
_P.s. don’t root around my stuff!_

Suppressing the urge to rub his eyes, he fished a pen out of the pot she kept there to write his reply. 

_Clean your candy. Ants love it, I don’t._  
_-L_  
_P.s. the fan is useless_

“That’s forty five ruppees for the consultation. No other charge because she’s a perfectly healthy dog.” He held the card reader out towards Zelda, looking away as she typed in her pin. He could hear the sound of Naru’s tail thumping against the floor in time with the clock on the wall in the otherwise silent room.

“How long are you in Ordon for?” he asked, pulling back the reader as it began to print the receipt. He’d been aiming to break the silence before it got too daunting, to make casual conversation like two friends do. And yet his mind had leapt to the first question he’d wanted to ask. He felt the tops of his ears grow warm as he handed her card back to her. _No turning back now._

“I’m here for a month,” she explained, seemingly not noticing his sudden nerves. She tucked her card back into her purse. “I’m taking a break from work for a little bit.” 

“Cool, cool.” _Now what?_ He’d hit a dead end. Cool wasn’t a way to continue a conversation, nor a way to end one properly. He couldn’t just stop talking, but then what should he say? _You’re gonna love the weather?_ No, he doubted anyone could love this weather. She might take it as sarcastic, but what if she didn’t? Then he’d have to explain himself and that would be awkward. Not to mention that it was a pessimistic statement to make for no reason! Talking about the weather was off the table. _Any plans?_ might be a good choice. Unless she thought he was asking her out… would that be such a bad thing? He could ask her out right now! It’d be easy, just say _Well if you’re here for a month do you wanna hang out sometime?_ There was nothing stopping him! _That’s it!_ Link decided _I’m going to ask her out._

“We might see each other around.”

_You coward._

“We might,.” She agreed, pulling her hand bag up higher to her shoulder. He couldn’t tell, and he didn’t want to assume anything but… she seemed disappointed. “It was nice seeing you again.”

“You too,” _idiot! idiot! idiot!_ “Take care.” By Farore, he was stupid! Saying goodbye to her now? Well she probably had somewhere to be, shopping to do or something. There’d been no one at the estate so she’d need to air it out and clean the sheets maybe. He couldn’t keep her here any longer than he already had. He was a veterinarian, he’d done his job, she had no reason to stick around. 

“I will,” She smiled, taking a step backwards towards the door. She was almost hesitant. 

_Realistically, when am I gonna run into her again? I don’t even have her number._

“Uh, wait...”

She stopped. Bright, royal blue, eyes staring at him. The whole situation was vaguely familiar, only this time they were standing in a sweltering waiting room instead of her driveway under freezing cold rain. Back then, all he’d wanted was for her to stay. That wasn’t an issue now, she was staying albeit only for a few weeks. But a few weeks would have to be enough time. 

“Yes?”

Screw half-cooked Ramen. It was now or never.

“Would you… I mean it’s… there’s a… do you wanna get coffee sometime?” He choked. He’d envisioned this moment before, except he hadn’t been stumbling over his words and he’d swept her off of her feet in a display so romantic that cheesy romcom movies would look tame in comparison. But he’d done it now, for better or worse. He couldn’t even look at her, his eyes staring at the pen he’d left lying out on the desk. She was probably going to say no, maybe she’d let him down gently if he was lucky.

“I’d love to.” 

_Wait, what?_ His heart skipped a beat in his chest. Had she just… she’d said… she wanted too… 

“Great. Great! I’ll… uhh give you my number,” He began patting down his pockets in a frenzy, searching desperately for his phone. His mind and heart still reeling from the revelation that Zelda-Goddess-Damned-Harkinian had just said yes to going on a date with him. Only one problem remained… his phone was charging in the break room. Resisting the urge to slam his head against the desk he continued. “I don’t...I don’t have my phone with me. Uhh I could run back and-”

Zelda reached forward faster than he could comprehend, a hand expertly wrapping around his forearm, keeping him still as she pushed up his shirt sleeve. He watched breathless as she grabbed the pen from the desk and began writing on his skin in short, elegant, cursive. 

_0145 712598 - Miss Harkinian x_

“You’ve got my number,” She breathed, a coquettish grin pulling at her lips. Link felt faint at the sight of her smile and the feel of her hand on his arm, her thumb tracing small circles over his skin.

“I do,” He said dumbly, his heart kicking back into gear at the realization. “I have your number so I’ll call you and then we can arrange something.” 

“Sounds like a plan.” _Her smile is gonna be the death of me,_ he thought as she pulled away. _But damn, what a way to go._ Zelda’s hand dropped from his arm, her attention drawn towards Naru as she gave a low howl. 

“I gotta get her home,” Zelda giggled, leaning down to pat her husky on the nose. “I’ll hear from you later?” 

“Absolutely,” He gasped, nodding his head so fast he was sure he was going to do himself an injury. “You’ll hear from me later, 100%.” 

“Goodbye, Link,” she sighed, her lip caught between her teeth in a way that made his heart race. 

“Bye, Zelda. 

And just like that she was gone, walking out of the door, her husky in tow. He watched her till he couldn’t see her anymore,till she was nothing but a spec on the horizon, till the setting sun began to shine in his eyes and the clock struck the hour. Pushing away from the desk, he ran to the break room with all the power he could muster. 

His phone was right where he’d left it, plugged in next to the toaster of all things. He practically ripped it from the wall in his haste. Adrenaline was rushing through his veins as he punched her number in, causing his whole body to shake with anticipation. Pressing the phone against his ear he waited, counting the rings until she picked up. 

_Ring ring_

_Ring ring_

_Ring ring_

It was torture. Two seconds felt like five hours. He couldn’t stop moving, constantly tapping his feet against the floor. He thought he was going to explode until he heard her voice, sweet and melodious, echo down the phone line.

“Hello, Zelda Harkinian speaking.How can I help you?” 

“Hi, yeah, I’m Doctor Link Wolfe with the Ordon veterinary surgery. I was wondering if you were free this friday?” 

_~Fin~_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The final chapter? What? no? Yes. This marks the end of the FIRST installment of Puppy Love. I'll be taking a short break after this but when I'm back I'll be starting work on the Puppy Love Short stories and lots of new fics as well. I'll write a sappier Authors note for the Epilogue which I'll be posting up in a week I promise haha
> 
> Massive Thanks to Princess-Diarist/Zeldasdiaries/Missdellarosa, Andelynk, and Electragoob for helping me so much during this process. I couldn't have done it without them. And thank you all so much for sticking by me through this, I'm so grateful to each and every one of you


	8. The Epilogue

_BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP_

_BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP_

_BEEP BEEP BE-_

A tired hand came down on the alarm clock, silencing the buzzing electronic chimes. 

Link rubbed the sleep out his eyes, blinking against the harsh morning sun that filtered in through the window. He was no stranger to early mornings, having had to wake up at the crack of dawn for most of his adult life. Checking the time on the clock, he gave a dissatisfied groan. 5:30am, he’d have to be get to the station by 7am if she wanted to be back before late. 

“Zel” he croaked, voice rough from sleep “it’s up time” 

Zelda rolled over, pressing her head against his shoulder, her weight resting on his arm. Her eyes were still shut tight, an adorable pout on her lips. 

“Zelda” he tried again, jostling his shoulder under her head. She gave no response, only shifting to press her face against his neck, her lips brushing against his pulse. “We gotta get up” 

“Shhh” she whispered, a rush of warm air blowing over his skin. He fought back the shiver that raced down his spine at the sensation. “Sleeping” 

“I know you are, I’m tryna wake you-” he was cut off by her hand covering his mouth, her palm just resting against his lips in an attempt to physically block his words. 

“I’m asleep” she said, obviously awake. 

Grinning under her hand, Link reached up to hold her wrist, his thumb drawing concentric circles over her skin. _Five minutes,_ he thought, pressing a kiss against her palm. _I’ll give her five more minutes._

“Baby” he sighed, pulling her hand down to rest against his heart “can I have my arm back?” He felt her smile press against his neck. 

“No” she murmured, pressing herself closer to him “It’s mine now” 

Link couldn’t help the sleepy chuckle that reverberated from his chest. Lacing his fingers through hers, he let his eyes slide shut, content to just enjoy the moment for a little while longer. She’d be back in Castleton by the end of the day after all, no point in passing up moments like this (even if he could taste his morning breath on his tongue) 

“Can I borrow it for a bit?” he asked, turning to bury his head to bury his nose in her hair. He felt her relaxed sigh ghost over his collarbone, goosebumps rising over his skin in its wake. 

“It’ll cost you” she whispered, tipping her chin slightly, her lips grazing the bottom of his ear. He could feel her smile, her light kiss just tickling him. She was still pressed against his arm, holding it down against the sheets and trapping him in bed.

“Name your price” he sighed. He’d pay anything, he knew. There was nothing that she could ask for that he wouldn’t give willingly. And while he didn’t really want to leave her side, his arm was going to go numb if she didn’t let him go soon.

“I’ll need my hand back,” she gave his fingers a gentle squeeze, their joined palms thumping lightly against his chest. She pushed herself up onto her elbow, leaning over him. Her long brown hair fell forward, creating a curtain around them, the scent of her shampoo curled in the air between them. “is that a fair trade?” 

Tilting his chin to brush his nose against hers, he let out a thoughtful hum. He could see her eyes sparkle with the early morning sun, despite the exhaustion that still hung there. She gave a lazy smile as he pulled her hand to his lips. “I think I can do that” he sighed, pressing a light kiss against her knuckles. 

Sliding her hand out of his, she rolled onto her back, conveniently moving off of his arm. He watched as she shifted slightly, making herself comfortable against the sheets. The morning sun cast against her in a golden glow, making her look ethereal as she stretched and arched against the bed. A soft moan escaped her lips as she relaxed, causing his cheeks to burn red. She flashed him a relaxed, teasing, smile as he pushed himself upright. His feet landing on the worn wooden floor with a light thud. 

“Don’t get too comfy,” He warned, dragging a hand over his face “you’ve got a train to catch.” Her soft groan echoed around the room, muffled only by the palms of her hands.

“Don’t remind me” she pleaded “It’s bad enough that I have to spend six hours on a cramped, hot, stinky train with a bunch of strangers-” The rest of her words were lost as she rolled onto her stomach, burying her face in the pillows. She hated trains, she’d hated them for as long as he’d known her, this reaction was nothing new. It was as she said, they were hot and stinky and crowded. Link had never been in the first class compartment of a train before, but he doubted even the rich could keep the everpresent Hyrulian heat at bay. 

“Look on the bright side.” He sighed, twisting around to lay a soft hand against her spine. Her heart pounded through her ribs, jumping under his fingertips. “In a few weeks you’ll be back in Ordon”

“Back with you, you mean” she sighed, turning her head to look at him. Six hours on a train would probably be awful, but that wasn’t the worst part of it. 

Castleton was demanding by nature, everyone who lived there could tell you that. It demanded your time, your energy, your patience. Mornings were spent stuck in traffic whilst exhaust and smoke filled the air. The towering buildings reached high into the sky like goliaths, casting the ground below them in a near perpetual shadow. The people were angry and the work was difficult. To anyone else it would seem like a nightmare, a punishment only fit for the worst of crimes. But to Zelda, it was home. 

Ordon was beautiful, free and green and far from the stresses that often came with office work and celebrity. It was almost impossible not to fall in love with the quaint country hideaway. But just hiding from a problem never solves it and no matter how long Link was able to spend with her, Castleton always pulled her back. 

“Well, I do live in Ordon.” He shrugged, leaning down to press a soft kiss against her shoulder, his hair tickling the skin at her neck. “And I like to think you enjoy your time with me”

“I do” she sighed, rolling onto her back. Link could feel his heart stop as she smiled at him. Her royal blue eyes shimmering with happiness “So much so that I never want to leave” 

“Then don’t,” He pleaded “stay here with me” 

“You know I can’t do that.” The answer was final. The light in her eyes dimming slightly as she said it. 

“I know” He hated this part. Saying goodbye would always be unfortunate, but knowing that it hurt her as much as it hurt him made the wound sting just that little bit more. “I’m still gonna miss you though” 

“I’m gonna miss you too” She tucked his hair behind his ear, the tips of a her fingernails trailing gently over his skin. He fought back a shiver, instead leaning into her touch as her palm rested against his cheek. “Give me a kiss” she breathed, her eyes alight with a new sense of mischievousness. Getting sad would only ruin the time they had left.

Link pushed off of her, his own grin curling over his lips. “Morning breath! Let me brush first then I’ll give you a big ol’ smooch! right on your mouth!” 

“Alright,” she huffed, crossing her arms in a mock pout “but I want my big smooch” 

_She looks so cute,_ he thought. Cushioned by pillows and blankets, her cheeks stained pink, her lips curled into a barely concealed smile, and her blue eyes reflecting the morning sun. _Just beautiful._

“Oh I’ll give ya a big smooch.” He promised, pushing himself to his feet. “The biggest smooch, a huge smooch! So big you’re gonna be like _‘Wow Link, that was a big smooch’_ ” 

Her laughter wrang through the air making his chest feel tight. “Go brush” she gasped, sitting upright in bed. Her soft giggles filling his heart with joy. Reaching behind her, she lifted a pillow from the bed, hurling it harmlessly in his direction. 

“Alright alright, I’m gonna.” He chucked, dodging the plush projectile. The floorboards creaked under his feet as he jogged to the ensuite, “love you”

“Love you too, dork” 

Casting her one last look before ducking into the bathroom, Link couldn’t help the tender warmth that spread through his bones. He loved her. He’d spent months loving her and she loved him back! Even months later, he’d never be able to believe it, to believe how lucky he was to be in her life. 

Sure she was leaving, but she would be back as soon as she was able. And he would happily wait a hundred years if it meant he got to see her once more. 

After all, they had the rest of their lives to spend together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And scene. 
> 
> I have had a blast working on this AU. Ever since my good friend Wildherolink gave me the idea, it's been something that I've been itching to do. I had a slow start at first (the beginning of the first chapter was re-written about 4 times to get it right) but I'm really proud of where I got too and of all the work that's been funneled into this fic, not just by me but by Electragoob, Andelynk, and Missdellarosa/Zeldasdiaries. It wouldn't have been possible without them ans I'm eternally grateful to them all! 
> 
> I'm also eternally grateful to all you who have read it, and gave it a kudos, or even just left a comment. You light up my heart with each kind word you give. I wouldn't be where I am without your encouragement. 
> 
> Upcoming news: I'm going to be continuing work on short stories for the Puppy Love universe (I've got a few already plotted out so look out for those if you enjoyed this one) 
> 
> Thank you for all your support, 
> 
> Dr Wolfe and Miss Harkinian will return in "Puppy Love: The Date"

**Author's Note:**

> Wow a multichapter fic?! what's going on here?!


End file.
